Internet Addiction and Sleep Quality Among School Children in South India

Today's internet is an unavoidable component of educational sources, the entertainment field, and telecommunication processes. Internet usage is more likely among adolescents and young adults in the form of surfing, chatting, playing games, and fulfilling their social needs. The present study has been planned to assess the effect of internet addiction (IA) on sleep quality in school children.

This cross-sectional school-based study was conducted among school students in Pondicherry. A total of 350 school students of both genders studying in grades six to 10 and having access to at least one device with internet for more than one year were recruited from government and private schools located in five randomly selected communes in Pondicherry by convenient sampling method. Assessment of IA was done using Young's Internet Addiction Test (YIAT). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PQSI) questionnaire assessed the participants' sleep quality. All the data was tested for normality using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Chi-square and unpaired t-tests were used for analysis.

The average age of the participants is 13 years. 49 (26.1%) are children and 139 (73.9%) are adolescents. The majority of them are females belonging to the adolescent age group (169, 89.4%). Around 17 (19.5%) children and 70 (80.5%) adolescents reported mild IA. Thirteen (59.1%) children and nine (40.9%) adolescents reported moderate IA. There is no significant difference in sleep quality between children and adolescents (4±2.33 vs. 3.62±2.61, p=0.37) but there is a considerable difference in their levels of IA (32.98±21.06 vs. 25.6±15.08, p=0.01).  Conclusion: This study found a significant relationship between IA and poor sleep quality among adolescents. Thus, adolescents, parents, school authorities, and researchers should understand the importance of regulating internet usage and encouraging sleep hygiene. Thus, appropriate measures should be taken to address the effects of IA on sleep quality.