Health Implications of Internet Addiction among In-School Adolescents in Ogbomoso North Local Government Area of Oyo State

Abstract

The internet has consistent positive impacts on modern day society but it has also caused various societal concerns about pornography, sexual laxity, sleeping problem and occurrence of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Its easy accessibility poses greater risks and dangers to adolescents as compared to other forms of media. The study is on health implication of internet addiction among in-school adolescents in Ogbomoso North Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. The study was carried out using descriptive survey research design. One thousand and eighty (1,080) respondents were selected as sample for the study using simple random sampling technique. Self-developed questionnaire with reliability coefficient of 0.74 was used as instrument for data collection. Four hypotheses were raised and analyzed using inferential statistics of Chisquare at 0.05 level of significance. All the four hypotheses were rejected. The result of the study shows that internet addiction significantly influences occurrence of teenage pregnancy, abortion, Sexually Transmitted Infection and sleep disorder. The study therefore concludes that addiction to internet by adolescents is implicated in the rate of teenage pregnancy, STIs and abortion, therefore, it was recommended that government at all levels, NGOs, educators and religious groups should intensify efforts to educate the youths and the adolescents on the positive use of internet through workshops, symposia, conferences, and health talks.