Prevalence Of Technology Addiction Among School Going Adolescents In An Urban Area Of Chengalpattu District

Abstract

Background: There has been a massive growth in the technological world within some decades. Technology has given various opportunities to the community to learn and connect with people better by making use of smartphones and the internet. However it has disadvantages that should be considered during chronic usage. Adolescent children nowadays use online study videos and materials rather than using hand-printed books like the olden days.This can lead to addiction to usage of smartphones, gaming and internet as they are investing more time in it. The adolescent age group is getting more and more prone for severe health problems which affects the overall environment around them. 

Methods: A cross sectional study among the school going adolescent children of standard 7^th to 12^th  was conducted among the 275 study participants. Data was collected using pre tested validated questionnaires.The Data was collected,entered and analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2019 (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, USA) and IBM SPSS v21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA).Descriptive statistics were presented using numbers and percentages.

Results: Among the 275 participants, 206(74.9%) were between the ages of 10 and 14, with gender distribution 141(51.3%) male and 134(48.7%) female. Most of them were Hindu 182(66.2%) and studied 11th-12th standard 67(24.4%). Largely the participants' parents 262(95.3%) were married and they had one sibling 178(64.7%). Fathers were mostly skilled workers/shopkeepers 92(33.5%), with the majority having earned secondary school or diplomas 123(44.7%). The common income ranged between ₹10,703-31,977 with 131(47.6%). Most of them resided in pucca houses 182(66.2%) and urban areas 235(85.5%), with 191(69.5%) consuming non-vegetarian food.The prevalence of mild addiction to internet was found to be 129(46.9%)and the prevalence of gaming addiction was 64(23.3%) which contributed to mild technology addiction.

Conclusion: To conclude that nearly half of the participants have been affected by technology addiction. This has to be identified early in the students and henceforth plan better interventional strategies and policies in the educational system. Further prevention measures has to be done by the teachers, parents, educators in giving the adolescent students a better lifestyle and a better environment.