Neuropsychological And Behavioral Correlates Of Excessive Internet Use In Early Adolescents In Rajasthan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/ajpr.v28i5.632Keywords:
Internet addiction, Adolescents, Cognitive effects, Psychological outcomes, Digital behaviour, RajasthanAbstract
Internet addiction in adolescents has become a serious issue, especially in states that have recorded high levels of digital growth like Rajasthan. Patterns of usage increasingly lean toward recreational and social platforms, raising concerns about potential impacts on mental health, cognitive functioning, and academic performance. This study combines behavioral measures with district level contextual measures to offer a more complete picture of adolescent internet use as well as its related consequences. Quantitative values of the level of internet addiction, the motive of its use, and the psychological and cognitive tests were examined and compared with official data of the educational facilities, access to ICT, and socio-economic factors. The findings indicate a high rate of non-academic internet usage with an increase in the scores of addictions being associated with a high depression, anxiety, and stress levels, low attention span and academic performance. Results of contextual analysis indicate that there are considerable differences in ICT facilities, ownership of devices and access to educational resources in urban and rural areas, implying that both access and use patterns are dependent on infrastructural and socio-economic aspects. These results indicate that specific measures are needed to promote both digital access and responsible use, with school-based programs and policy efforts being used to minimize possible harms and maximize the positive potential of internet connectivity on adolescent development.
References
1. Kishan, D., Muraleedharan, D., & Vijayvergia, B. (2025). Internet addiction and its effects on psychological wellbeing among adolescents in the urban health and rural health training centre, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 12(4), 1823.
2. Chundawat, D. S., Yadav, K. C., Mudgal, S. K., Yadav, Y., Gaur, R., & Malhotra, V. (2022). A study on psychosomatic problems related to the problematic internet use among adolescents at selected schools of Aspur Block, Dungarpur, Rajasthan. Mymensingh Med J, 31(2), 539-546.
3. Choudhary, I., Singh, H., Radheshyam, & Mahajan, A. (2024). Prevalence and factors associated with internet addiction among students in a city of north-western Rajasthan. Global Journal for Research Analysis, 13(4).
4. Mathew, P., Krishnan, R., Raghavan, V., & Marakkar, R. (2021). The risk on musculoskeletal system and psychosocial functions among adolescents with problematic internet use in selected schools of Udaipur District, Rajasthan, India. J Psychol Abnorm, 10(3), 179-84.
5. Bias, U. S., Mulla, S., & Ansari, S. (2018). Internet addiction among adolescents: prevalence, impact on scholastic performance and psychiatric co-morbidities.
6. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. (2021). National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019–21—India Districts Factsheet Data (catalog).
7. National Statistical Office, MoSPI. (2020). Household Social Consumption: Education in India, NSS 75th Round (Report No. 585). https://mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/publication_reports/Report_585_75th_round_Education_final_1507_0.pdf.
8. School Education Department, Government of Rajasthan. (2025). Integrated Shala Darpan (official portal).
https://rajshaladarpan.rajasthan.gov.in/.
9. IAMAI–Kantar, Internet in India 2023 (official landing page). Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), & Kantar. (2023). Internet in India 2023.
https://www.mediainfoline.com/article/internet-in-india-2023-report-by-iamai-and-kantar
10. National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation. (2017–2018). Household Social Consumption: Education, NSS 75th Round (Schedule 25.2) [Microdata catalog & related materials]. Government of India Microdata Portal (NADA).
https://microdata.gov.in/NADA/index.php/catalog/151/related-materials
11. Government of Rajasthan, Directorate of Economics & Statistics. (2024). District SDGs Status Report — Rajasthan SDGs Portal.
https://sdg.rajasthan.gov.in/Home/DistrictSourceReport
12. Raj, R. (2020). Internet addiction and three cognitive functions. International Journal of Indian Psychȯlogy, 8(3).
13. Gururani, D., & Sharma, S. (2025). Investigating The Link of Internet Addiction Disorder with Quality of Life of Adolescents: A Correlation Study. International Journal of Indian Psychȯlogy, 13(2).
14. Rajasekhar, T., Naveen, K. H. S., Raghav, P., Aneja, J., Thirunavukkarasu, P., Dutta, G., ... & Goel, A. D. (2023). Exploring internet addiction and its associated factors among college students in Western Rajasthan, India: A mixed-methods study. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 65(8), 839-852.
15. Kuldeep, S., & Joshi, H. L. (2022). Internet Addiction and Mental Health Risks among Adolescents. Indian Journal of Psychological Science Vol, 15(2).
16. Archana, R., Sharma, M. K., Keshav, K. J., & Marimuthu, P. (2019). Does mild internet use augment cognitive functions?: Preliminary evidence. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 8(12), 3876-3880.
17. Modi, S., Joshi, U., & Narayanakurupa, D. (2018). Adolescents in the times of modern technology: Are they mindful or are their minds full? Results from a pilot study in an Indian school setting. Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 14(2), 31-49.
18. Jain, A., Sharma, R., Gaur, K. L., Yadav, N., Sharma, P., Sharma, N., ... & Yadav, K. S. (2020). Study of internet addiction and its association with depression and insomnia in university students. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 9(3), 1700-1706.
19. Joshi, N. (2024). The digital divide and educational inequalities: A survey-based examination among students of rajasthan. International Research Journal of Humanities and Interdisciplinary Studies (IRJHIS), 5(7), 133-150.
20. Nehra, N., & Mehrotra, R. (2022). Exploring the Influence of Smartphone Addiction on Health Disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) of Adolescents in Rajasthan. Special Education, 2(43).
21. Alhrahsheh, R., & Al Majali, S. (2023). Relationship between social networking addiction and academic performance in students of university. International Journal of Instruction, 16(2), 783-802.
22. Deshpande, S., Sachdev, A., Maharana, A., Zadey, S., Dharmadhikari, S. P., Ghate, S., ... & Sharma, S. (2024). Screen Use Time and Its Association With Mental Health Issues in Young Adults in India: Protocol for a Cross-Sectional Study. JMIR Research Protocols, 13(1), e39707.
23. Yadav, C. R., Chudasama, H., Yadav, S., & BG, R. (2025). A Cross-Sectional Survey Study to Assess the Smart Phone Usage and Academic Performance in Medical Professional Students at National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur. Asian Journal of Biological and Life Sciences, 14(2), 434-440.
24. Shafi, S., Raghav, P., Naveen, K. H., Chowdhary, Y., & Pundhir, A. (2025). Health profile assessment of school children of Jodhpur District of Rajasthan. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 14(1), 70-77.
25. Jaiswal, A., Manchanda, S., Gautam, V., Goel, A. D., Aneja, J., & Raghav, P. R. (2020). Burden of internet addiction, social anxiety and social phobia among University students, India. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 9(7), 3607-3612.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License permitting all use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
