Impact of Internet Addiction on Mental Health of Adolescence

Technological developments have taken place in the modern world. Internet Addiction has even been championed as an actual disorder, notably by psychologists Kimberly Young. This paper throws light on facts about Internet addiction and mental health of adolescence have a strong connection. The data collected from secondary sources as books, journals, e-books and various Google sites. There is strong connection between Internet addiction and mental health of adolescence. Due to excess use of internet has harmful detrimental effects on adolescence.

Technological developments have taken place in the modern world in recent years. In the complication of today's world, internet use is playing a vital role in educational institutions to accomplish different learning skills. This have become a necessity for university students. However, researchers have shown fears about the excessive use of this technology. There are the hidden physical and mental health risk factors of internet users. The Internet is an easy and quick medium of communication to gain the required information around the world. Though, a lack of control over excessive internet use can interrupt persons' living standards and relationships between family members. This can bring unpredictability of feelings. The users of the Internet have increased incredibly worldwide, with the peak of a digital industrial revolution in progress. New technological revolution will certainly create new problems and dilemmas. In adolescence, boys and girls are very excited for new experiences and interactions. They want to find new relationships to find resources of inner strength. The adolescent wants and tries to attain freedom and independence to think, to set his goals, and discover ways to achieve them. They try to explore his role in the world. Adolescence is the age when the individual joint into the society of adults. In this age when the child no longer feels that he is below the level of his elders but equal in rights. After a long period of moderately stable behavior, the child suddenly becomes extreme, impulsive and unstable as he develops in adolescence. The adolescent has various physical, mental and emotional maturity problems.

Internet Addiction

The Internet has become a worldwide phenomenon used by children and adults for a variety of reasons. It is a suitable way of saving information, leading business dealings and connecting with others. Unfortunately, some individuals develop an addiction to the Internet, which can be difficult to overcome. Internet Addiction has even been championed as an actual disorder, notably by psychologists Kimberly Young, and David Greenfield. However, at this time the true nature of Internet Addiction is not yet determined.  Internet Addiction Disorder is the term first proposed by Dr. Ivan Goldberg for pathological and compulsive Internet usage. Internet Addiction Disorder is very closest to pathological gambling. This is due to some Internet users cannot control themselves when they don’t have the internet connections. Internet addiction regularly mentions to a person's failure to control his or her utilization of the Internet (counting any online-related, habitual conduct) which in the end causes one's checked trouble and useful debilitation in day-by-day life.  Internet addiction (IA) concludes the over usage of internet to such degree that our everyday routine starts collapse. At the end it turned in failure of our own and social relationship, work and thinking capacity. As it were, we can state that the over consumption of Internet makes worse in our life.

Mental health

The concept of mental health includes subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, competence, autonomy, intergenerational dependence and recognition of the ability to realize one’s intellectual and emotional potential. It has also been defined as a "state of well-being, whereby individuals recognize their abilities, are able to cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and make a contribution to their communities”.

Mental health is one of the important inseparable parts of a person’s life besides physical, spiritual and financial well- being. It is believed that a healthy mind is a key of an individual attaining satisfaction in life (Swami, et al., 2007). It also includes a person's capability to enjoy life, to attain a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. A mentally healthy person has all aspects of his well-being, physical, mental, social or super individualistic, well-coordinated into a balanced and harmonious whole in relationship with the total environment.

Mental health is an important trait for human life as well as physical, spiritual and economic wellbeing. It is truth that a fit mind is a powerful key through which a human being attains pleasure in life. When person is mentally healthy, then he can enjoy their surrounding and the people in it. A mentally healthy person can be inspired to learn new things. They can take risks for higher achievement. He can be able to cope with problems in our personal and professional lives. Mental health is important at every stage of life as from childhood and adolescence over adulthood. 

According to WHO (World Health Organization) defined mental health is "A state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community". Mental health is a state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life.

Maressa Hecht stated the physical effects of internet addiction. Internet overuse can lead to sluggish lifestyles, weight gain and a weakening in physical fitness. This may contain another symptom carpal tunnel syndrome, dry eyes, migraine headaches, fall in personal hygiene and back aches. Nayanika Singh, K. C. Barmola (2015), this study found that that there was a significant effect of internet addiction on academic performance and mental health of students/ adolescents. Dr. Neeta Sharma, Km. Anu (2015) found in their research that that greater use of Internet leads to decrease the mental health and Adjustment level among college students. Hence Internet addiction and mental health and Adjustment are closely related. 

Nastizai (2009) showed a relationship between Internet addiction and general health. After Taking into account the reversed scoring of general health, it can be assumed that as the individual's addiction to Internet increases, his general health would decrease. He further said that students' internet addiction developed a higher risk of mental health than ordinary users of the Internet.

Weng, Chuan-Bu (2013) done the research on internet addicted individuals. They selected seventeen subjects with online gaming addiction and another seventeen simple internet users who rarely used the internet. They used a magnetic resonance imaging scanner, a scan to "acquire 3-dimensional T1-weighted images" of the subject's brain. The results of the scan exposed that online gaming addiction damages gray and white matter integrity in the orbitofrontal cortex of the prefrontal regions of the brain. 

Kunimura and Thomas (2000) show that there is a significant relationship between mental health and internet addiction.

Statement of the Problem

“Impact of Internet Addiction on Aggression and Mental Health of adolescence”

To explore the correlation between Internet Addiction on Aggression and Mental Health among adolescence.

Connection between Internet Addiction and Mental Health

Internet addiction disorder is called as pathological internet use, or problematic internet use. This typically refers to the uncertain or compulsive use of the Internet. This results in significant impairment in the function of individuals in their different life areas over long time. Internet addiction and other relationships based on the usage of digital media and mental health are vital considerable research fields. This addictive behavior has made debate from the areas of scientific, medical and technological communities. Internet addiction is an interdisciplinary phenomenon. various researchers have investigated it from different perspectives from many disciplines like psychology, medicine, computer science, sociology, law. 

Some researchers have considered internet addiction as a social crisis. It has engrossed the attention of different researchers and experts. This phenomenon is a biological, psychological, social, economic, and cultural problem. This is impossible to consider it as a simple matter because different factors effect it. The excessive and uncontrolled use of the Internet refers to internet addiction. Consequently, through the rising number of internet users and its widespread psychological and sociological implications, it is necessary to determine and recognize the contribution of predictive factors in internet addiction. By conducting pathological studies about internet addiction to judge the addictive behaviors, it would enable us to utilize this technology with a balanced approach better and more usefully. Internet addiction generally refers to a type of applying the Internet, which leads to psychological, social, educational, or occupational problems in a person's life. Scholars have described this phenomenon as internet addiction dysfunction and the problematic application of the Internet, or habitual use of the Internet which determines it as one of the forms of behavioral addiction. 

Researchers have also described internet addiction as “the modern addiction.” In practice, this type of addiction is true dependency, like drug addiction and other kinds of dependency. Although this kind of dependency does not have the somatic problems of chemical addiction, its resultant social problems are like other types of addiction.

It can be concluded that students' excessive use of the Internet leads to depression, anxiety, and reduced mental health. In that way this affecting their physical and mental health. Hence, it is advised that additional monitoring and control be exercised on how the Internet is used by university students. They should be informed of the detrimental effects of this technology in the case of misuse or overuse. The findings of the present study are also indicative of the significance of preventative measures in the form of educational and counseling programs for students regarding the proper and practical use of the Internet. In addition, addressing the issues and problems relating to communication technologies, such as the Internet.  That can do the groundwork for proper education and prompt parents' and families' further attention to proper and effective use of the Internet.