INTRODUCTION:

Internet is largely seen as one of the world's biggest technology platform. It is a source of knowledge, entertainment, brand building, commerce, education and much more. However, Internet, which has over the years changed the way we live, work and communicates, also has a darker side: Addiction. Internet addition is an impulse control disorder. Some internet users may develop an emotional attachment to on-line friends and activities they create on their computer screens. Internet users may enjoy aspects of the Internet that allow them to meet, socialize, and exchange ideas through the use of chat rooms, social networking websites, or "virtual communities."

Other Internet users spend endless hours researching topics of interest Online or "blogging"⁴. www.addictionrecov.org/Addictions/index

Internet addiction is defined as a psychological dependence on the Internet and is characterized by (a) an increasing investment of resources on Internet-related activities, (b) unpleasant feelings (e.g., anxiety, depression, emptiness) when offline, (c) an increasing tolerance to the effects of being online, and (d) denial of the problematic behaviors⁵. Jonathan J. Kandell,1998.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

· To assess the level of knowledge on consequences of internet addiction and its prevention among adolescents.

· To find the association between the level of knowledge with their selected demographic variables.

ASSUMPTIONS:

The study assumes that:

· Students may have some knowledge regarding consequences of internet addiction and its prevention.

· This comparison of knowledge of students regarding internet addiction may help in the future for the prevention.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Quantitative Approach

Non Experimental Research Design

Adolescents In Sgrr Public School

Purposive Sampling

60 Students

Questionnaire

Description of The Tool:

The tool was organized into 2 sections-

· Sections I

· Section II

Section I – Demographic data consists of 8 items seeking information about age, sex, educational qualification, income, siblings, parents (mother), type of institution and previous knowledge.

Section II – Consists of 36 items with the sections of physical, social, mental, emotional. All Correct answer carries 1 mark and wrong answers carry 0 marks.

SCORING:

Scoring interpretation was classified into three levels based on the score as follows: The minimum score was 1 and maximum score was 36. The respondents were classified based on the levels of knowledge as:

Level of Knowledge	Score
Good	26-36
Average	13-25
Poor	1-12

Data Collection Procedure:

A prior written permission was obtained from the Headmistress of all the school selected for the study. Study was conducted between for 3 days. After self introduction, nature and objectives of study was explained to the participants to obtain maximum cooperation. Anonymity and confidentiality were assured to them and made them comfortable. Obtained consent from the subject for the study. Tool was distributed during their lunch break to avoid disturbance in their routine classes. At the end of successful data collection, conveyed thanks to the headmistress and teachers and winded up the study.

SECTION 1: Frequency and Percentage Distribution of Socio-Demographic Variables Among Samples:

Table 1: Frequency and percentage distribution of socio-demographic variables among samples N=60

S. No	Demographic Variable	Frequency	%
1	AGE
a.	12 – 14 years	0	0%
b.	15 -17 years	21	35%
c.	18 – 20 years	39	65%
2	GENDER
a.	Male	21	35%
b.	Female	39	65%
3	Educational Qualification
a.	Below 10	0	0%
b.	10	12	20%
c.	12	48	40%
4	Income
a.	LESS THAN 5000 Rs	7	12%
b.	5000 – 15000	53	88%
c.	GREATER THAN 15000 Rs	0	0%
5	Siblings
a.	Yes	49	82%
b.	No	11	18%
6	Occupation (Mothers)
a.	Working	10	17%
b.	Non working	50	83%
7	Type of Institution Where Studying
a.	Private	60	100%
b.	Gov	0	0 %
c.	Semi Gov	0	0%
8	Previous Knowledge
a.	Yes	46	77%
b.	No	14	23%

SECTION II:

Table– 2: Frequency and percentage distribution of levels of knowledge regarding consequences of internet addiction among samples. N=60

Level of Knowledge	Frequency	Percentage
Good	14	23%
Average	45	75%
Poor	1	2%

SECTION – III

Table– 3: Mean value of levels of knowledge regarding consequences of internet addiction among samples. N=60

	N	Minimum	Maximum	Mean	Std. Deviation
Knowledge	60	10	31	21.45	4.918

SECTION IV:

Association between levels of knowledge regarding consequences of internet addiction with their selected demographic variables.

Table – 4: Chi-square value for levels of knowledge regarding consequences of internet addiction with their selected demographic variables. N=60

S. No	Demographic Variable	df	c²
1	Age	4	.973**
2	Gender	2	.548**
3	Education	4	.268**
4	Income	4	8.002**
5	Sibling	2	.323**
6	Mothers Occupation	2	5.097**
7	Type of Institution	4	1.429**
8	Previous Knowledge	2	.495**

(** - Not Significant at > 0.05 level); (* - Significant at > 0.05 level)

RESULTS:

Majority (65%) percentage of them were in the age group of 17-18 years. Their sex depicts that highest percentage (65%) of them were female whereas only (35%) of them were males. In relation to their educational status depicts that most of them (80%) were in 12^th class. Income status shows that majority (88%) of them were earning in between 5000 to 15000 Rs. Majority (82%) of them were having siblings. Working status of mother shows that most of them (83%) were not doing job. Type of institution depicts that all of them were from the private school. Higher percentage (77%) of them were having previous knowledge.

CONCLUSION:

The present study is descriptive study to assess the level of knowledge regarding consequences of internet addiction. The study findings revealed that samples were having average knowledge regarding consequences of internet addiction. Mean value of level of knowledge is 21.45. The demographic variables were found to be having non significant association with knowledge regarding consequences of internet addiction.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

· A large scale study can be done for replication to standardize.

· A comprehensive study can be conducted on knowledge in various settings.

· An experimental study can be conducted to make this more serious in the community.

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Received on 10.03.2019 Modified on 18.04.2019

Asian J. Nursing Education and Research. 2020; 10(1):01-04.

DOI: 10.5958/2349-2996.2020.00001.4