College students using the internet moderately score better on physical, mental, social and general health parameters as compared to those who are internet addicts. A study of 987 college students from Mumbai found that internet addicts and possible addicts are more depressed and suffer from anxiety as compared to moderate internet users.
Students were assessed with a specially constructed semi-structured proforma and a standardized internet addiction test.
Of those surveyed, 74.5% were classified as moderate users, 24.8% as possible addicts, and 0.7% as addicts based on the standard testing tool. Addiction is broadly defined as any manipulative behavior that causes impairment in social and functional life.
For instance, on the Duke health profile, moderate users scored 80 on physical health, 70 on mental health, and 80 on social health compared to 50, 60 and 50 respectively for addicts.
“Excessive internet use may affect social life and occupational life of an individual,” said Dr Deepak Goel, the primary author of the study. “There is a high likelihood of having anxiety and depression with those indulging in high internet use.”
“However, it may still remain a matter of debate whether to call internet addiction a distinct disorder by itself or a behavioural problem secondary to another disorder,” said the study, which was co-authored by Dr Alka Subramanyam and Dr Ravindra Kamath. The data for ‘A study on the prevalence of internet addiction and its association with psychopathology in Indian adolescents’ was collected in 2009 from students, whose mean age was 16.8 years.
Lack Of Face To Face Communication
It sounds quite ironic when the lack of face to face communication is mentioned as one of the negative effects of Internet because the Internet is supposed to bring people closer. But the fact is that somehow many people find it easier to communicate through the Internet instead of the traditional direct way. They prefer to discuss over Messenger, Viber or other apps available on the Internet. The idea of taking face to face is becoming a tough decision. Research issued in the International Journal of Organizational Design and Engineering has stated that the face to face communication in teamwork helps people build mutual trust, creative and provide a higher result. To know more information, please click at:
When teenagers and students and tend to choose Internet communication and avoid talking directly, their personal relationships with friends and family will be affected. According to The Washington Post survey and its result, about 6% of participants replied that their relationships got hurt as a consequence of excessive Internet use. It is believed that some people who prefer online chatting because it somehow separates them from the real world.
Lack Of Creativity
The lack of creativity in teenagers and students is also another one of negative effects of Internet rooting from its benefits. One significant feature of Internet is the unlimited sources of information. This feature benefits users by quick access to needed info at ease. However, when everything is available, there is no need for creativity. Students now don’t have to pay much effort on their assignment or project because they only need a few minutes to get all information they need from the Internet then copy paste into their work. This problem is a warning for the increase in plagiarism, leading to the lack of creativity. When this habit happens several times, these young people will be dependent on the Internet to finish their studying. The same situation happens to not only students but also to users at any age. Things get easier in a way that it becomes a hindrance for learning and creativity.
Cyber Bullying
Cyber bullying is basically a term to describe the bullying using the Internet. This disadvantage can be considered as one of the evilest negative effects of Internet [1]. It is never easier for haters to give ugly words toward a person. Celebrities or some kinds of people in protected class are often the victims of cyber bullying. This type of harassment is safer and easier than physical bullying because there is hardly any regulation or law to control the problems. Victims of cyber bullying may feel insulted or embarrassed because of the wicked comments or opinions. The negative effects will be worse on teenagers, especially on those who are in puberty with all the vulnerability and sensitiveness. There is a positive relationship proved between cyber bullying and suicidal attempts by victims. Students are considered to be most bullied on the Internet. A couple of criticism from teachers or cheating from groups of friends can drive a student insane and finally to suicide. Therefore, it is important to be aware of these negative effects of Internet in advance. If you get troubles with bullying, click at
Waste Of Time
It will be a mistake to forget the waste of time when it comes to the negative effects of Internet. The Washington Post revealed that 9% attempted to hide “nonessential Internet use.” In addition, Stanford University also conducted a study showing that 12.4 percent of participants stayed online for a longer time than they intended very often [2]. It is obvious that if you spend too much time on the Internet, you will have to cut down on time for other activities. As an infinite storage of entertainment, the Internet is somehow similar to the black hole that leaves no way to get out. A lot of students and teenagers spend most of their time just on watching films, surfing Facebook and playing games instead of learning or doing other meaningful activities. If the original purpose of Internet was to help students and teenagers work more efficiently, it now makes them do no work at all. Especially for students, the explorations and advancement of Internet turn it into a promising distraction. As the result, their academic result goes down gradually while the electronic bill payment keeps increasing.
Abandonment Of Family
The excessive using of anything always creates side effects. The Internet is not an exception. When students and teenagers use of Internet is too much, the abandonment of family will occur as one of the negative effects of Internet. The tragedy of a couple in Korea will be the most appropriate example for this effect because they were so busy with their virtual baby and forget about their real baby. Finally, this poor baby died of hunger and of the abandonment of his parents. When people spend most of their time on surfing the Internet, they become insensitive to the real life and people around them, including members of their own family. Obviously, the original purpose of parents when they equip their children with the Internet is to open a door to the new world, not to close themselves in a fiction planet without family.
For many students, the Internet is the only friend they have. The time for family, for parents is replaced by hours of Internet browsing. They ignore the family and hesitate to talk or interact with other members. Read more:
Privacy Disrupted
Occurring due to the free information flow of Internet, privacy threat is one of the negative effects of Internet that you should know about Teenagers exchange their picture, private information or personal chat every day in social networking. Many students even update their ID number, their class number and other information relating to personal security. They are not fully aware of the risk privacy threat that their information can be easily approached by strangers and be misused. Their privacy stands a risk of being disrupted and hindered. Therefore, keep in mind that not everything is exchangeable on the Internet. For your best benefits and to stay away of these negative effects of Internet, be careful with all the private information you upload and make sure who is available to reach your information.
Moral Corruption
Moral corruption is the last one in the negative effects of Internet list. Besides many useful and effective things the Internet provides, there is something that can result in moral corruption in teenagers or students, for example, black websites. For young people at these ages, their personality, as well as moral concepts, is just developing. The impropriate information absorbed can lead to the wrong mental development. Therefore, it is necessary for adults such as parents and teachers to take the control over what kind of information is available for these teenagers.
INTERNET ADDICTION 