Internet Addiction Prevalence and Its Psychosocial Factors Among Adolescents in Urban Chandigarh and Rural Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh, India

Background: Asia Pacific region has the highest number of Internet users in the world. In 2013, India had 190 million Internet users, and out of these, 130 million belonged to urban areas, and 60 million belonged to rural areas. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of Internet addiction (IA) and determine its psychosocial factors among Indian adolescents (12–18 years) living in the urban and rural areas of India. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 385 students of class 8th–10th aged 12–18 years in government and private schools in Chandigarh (urban) and Kangra district (rural), Himachal Pradesh, India. Young’s IA tool, Patient Health Questionnaire, Reynold’s Suicidal ideation questionnaire, and Rosenberg’s self-esteem questionnaire were used. IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 21 was used for data analysis. Results: IA prevalence among adolescents was significantly higher in Kangra (25.4%) than in Chandigarh (4.3%). Significant determinants of IA included adolescents aged 13–15 years studying in the 9th class (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 3.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.30–11.76); 14–18 years studying in the 10th class (aOR = 3.6, 95% CI = 0.87–15.18), watching Facebook (aOR = 9.7, 95% CI = 3.33–28.29) and TikTok apps (aOR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.22–9.10); and adolescents with symptoms of depression (aOR = 6.6, 95% CI = 2.6–17.01). Living in an urban area (Chandigarh) was a protective factor for IA (aOR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.19–0.53). Conclusions: One in every four adolescents living in the rural area had IA. Adolescents studying in ninth and tenth grade, having symptoms of depression, and using social media apps like Facebook and TikTok were prone to IA.