A cross-sectional study of internet addiction among medical students

Over the last 25 years, use of internet and social media has increased tremendously, especially in younger age groups across the globe. In India, there were approximately 7 million (2001) internet users, 40 million during 2006 that is expected to rise to 700 million by the year 2019. Internet now has emerged as two-edged sword, beneficial in acquisition, updating and sharing of knowledge on the one hand and on the other hand may lead to habituation, addiction and adverse academic, mental, physical and social effects. There have been growing concerns worldwide for what has been labeled as “internet addiction”. The term “internet addiction “was proposed by Dr. Ivan Goldberg in 1995 for pathological compulsive internet use.¹⁰ Psychological and environmental factors in the lives of college students may leave them disproportionately vulnerable to Internet addiction.