Internet Addiction: Social, educational and health impacts: A case study

The Internet provides a simple and quick way to communicate with others and acquire the knowledge needed for global communication. Lack of self-control over excessive internet use, however, can affect people's living standards, relationships within families, and emotional stability. Internet addiction, cyber bullying, cyber porn, cyber suicide, social isolation, and other phenomena are only a few of the negative effects of the Internet's rapid expansion on our daily lives. The constant use of computers has a detrimental effect on users' physical and mental health, affecting many different systems. The most significant of these issues have an impact on the following systems: ophthalmology, neurological system, musculoskeletal system, headaches, and tendency to become obese.


Introduction
Modern society has undergone technical improvements recently.Due to the complexity of today's world, using the internet in educational institutions is essential for developing various learning skills that are now expected of university students.Scholars are worried about the overuse of this technology and the unacknowledged risks that internet users face with regard to their physical and mental health 1 .
The Internet provides a simple and quick way to communicate with others and acquire the knowledge needed for global communication.Lack of self-control over excessive internet use, however, can affect people's living standards, relationships within families, and emotional stability 2 .
Internet addiction disorder, pathological internet use, or problematic internet use are terms used to describe the dubious or compulsive use of the Internet that significantly impairs a person's ability to perform over time in their various life domains.Many experts and academics across many disciplines are debating, arguing, and conducting extensive study on internet addiction and other connections between the use of digital media and mental health. 3There has been debate over this addictive tendency in the scientific, medical, and technical realms.Internet addiction is an interdisciplinary problem that has been studied by a variety of scholars from diverse fields, including health, computer science, sociology, law, and psychology 4 .
In addition to having a negative impact on mental health, internet addiction has significant negative effects on physical health, some of which include pain, stiffness in the arms and joints, dry eyes, headaches caused by neck or back pain, sleep disorders, extreme hyperactivity, excessive talking, decreased hygiene, eating disorders, etc 5 .

Case study 1
A 14-year-old male student in the ninth standard from , who comes from a middle socioeconomic and rural background.
Early in 2016, as a birthday present for the index patient, the parent gave him a laptop.At first, the patient began intermittently using the internet for around 15 minutes at a time.He would either utilise social media or browse the web to look up questions about the subject.He gradually increased his daily internet usage to four to six hours by engaging in online activities during his free time.According to him, he would be unable to manage the amount of time spent online and would inflate the time by saying it would only take a few minutes longer.He would remain preoccupied and think about ways to spend time online while still in class.He was unable to focus much on his research as a result.
He started staying up till late at night.He began seeing pornography at that point in addition to using social media.He would become upset and angry at his parents whenever they reprimanded him for wasting time, yet he would continue to use the internet.He consequently underperformed in the examinations compared to how he usually did.Family members recognized that they were not permitted to view the patient's online behaviour because he used a password that they did not know.This trend persisted for six months.After then, the patient began to progressively withdraw.He would seem frail and frequently weary easily.He progressively ceased to communicate with the entire family.When playing with his siblings, he lost interest.When coerced, he would not want food on his own and would only consume half as much as before.He was sent to several doctors because he appeared frail and had lost weight.No anomaly was found despite repeated electrocardiogram, thyroid function test, complete blood count, serum electrolytes, blood sugar, and renal function tests.
Patient began frequently skipping school because of exhaustion.He also started to feel despondent and like he wanted to die, but he never told anyone about it.He was referred to us by his doctor during his most recent appointment for sleep disturbance.On a mental health evaluation, he displayed a depressed mood and pessimistic outlook on his life.The patient's general physical examination revealed nothing unusual, and he or she denied using drugs in the past or present.Problematic internet use and childhood depression were taken into consideration as diagnostic possibilities after the assessment.20 mg of Fluoxetine and 0.25 mg of Clonazepam were started.Parents were urged to have greater empathy.Other pursuits, like outdoor games, were rewarded.After 4 weeks of therapy, there was a reduction in depression and dysfunctional internet use.

Case study 2
A 19-year-old male from who was of lower socioeconomic position and complained to out-patient department that he had physically and verbally abused by his mother.He was upset with the relatives for bringing him to the psychiatry department.He was detained overnight to rule out mania and then referred from the emergency room.His mother claimed that because she did not get a smart phone for the patient, he turned violent.But, the patient began acting abnormally eight months ago when he began spending five to six hours a day on his phone.He began playing phone games at his mother's urging.Afterwards, he convinced family members to buy him mobile internet data.He first solely used Facebook and WhatsApp for communication, but later he also began using Messenger, two more social networking platforms.After around two months, he would be observed conversing for up to six or eight hours nonstop, while experiencing head heaviness and disturbing pictures from his phone while lying still.At times, he would go to bed in the evening and wake up between two and three hours later to use his phone.He would snooze during the day.He was frequently observed bringing a phone inside the bathroom.Unlike before he began visiting pornographic websites.Accidentally, his mother discovered that.The patient claims that when he became bored from using one programme repeatedly but couldn't think of another enjoyable activity, he would alternate between talking and gaming applications.After about six months, his school complained that he wasn't doing his schoolwork.He was an average student in his final year of high school.He had received promotions on a frequent basis during his previous academic years.According to the sufferer, he lost interest in learning and didn't care about the repercussions.He was sure he would succeed in the last exam.Then, after seeing him engage in street gambling, family members restricted his pocket money.His goal was to quadruple his allowance.He wanted to make money so he could buy internet data.He wasn't caught stealing or lying, though, on previous times.Bullying or animal abuse had never occurred.He kept getting lower grades on his internal examinations, but he didn't feel regret like his premorbid self.
He continued to believe he could pass the final exam.Up until a few days ago, when his father confiscated his phone, he continued to use his mobile phone and the internet in the same manner.He was demonstrative and seemed agitated during the act.He expressed his anger on his mother instead of his domineering father.He sought access to his phone.When the patient responded, the father broke the set.Patient immediately flung glass at his mother.In addition, he abused his parents verbally.Upon evaluation, he was restless, sorry for his actions, and unwilling to use his phone.He was aware of how he had changed during the previous months.At the same time, he added that he was not the only one who had recently indulged in digital vices.Three of his classmates shared his traits.Also, they distributed new games and software among one another.He was given Clonazepam 0.25 mg for 10 days and instructed on how to regulate his rage.His problematic behaviours were addressed with time outs and punishment.Both his sleep and his anger had improved.

Social and Educational impact of internet addiction
According to recent research, students who use digital technology excessively are less motivated to engage with their academics and are more worried before exams.The study, which was published in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, claimed that the increased emotions of loneliness brought on by using digital technology made this effect even worse.According to study author Phil Reed of Swansea University in the UK, the findings "indicate that students with high degrees of internet addiction may be particularly at risk from decreased motivations to study, and, consequently, lower actual academic achievement." Study was undertaken among 285 college students who were enrolled in a variety of health-related degree programmes took part in the study, which produced the results.Their use of technology, study motivation and abilities, anxiety, and loneliness were all evaluated.
According to the study, there is a bad correlation between internet addiction and academic motivation.However, students who reported higher levels of internet addiction also reported greater levels of exam anxiety and difficulty organizing their learning effectively.
The research also revealed a link between internet addiction and loneliness, which made studying more difficult.A quarter of the students claimed to spend more than four hours online every day, while the remaining pupils claimed to spend one to three hours daily.According to the researchers, social networking (40%) and information seeking (30%) were the two main purposes for which the student sample used the internet.
Internet addiction was discovered to be linked to increased loneliness in addition to the associations between levels of online addiction and low study motivation and ability.According to the findings, students' feelings of loneliness made it more difficult for them to study.According to the study, loneliness has a significant impact on students' perceptions of academic life in higher education.The researchers claim that the worsening loneliness brought on by the documented negative social interactions linked with internet addiction has an impact on motivation to participate in a highly social educational environment like a university.
The astonishing technological development of social networking in the twenty-first century.A personal website can be created and customized by each user on social networking sites utilizing graphics, colour, music, and photographs to give it a distinctive personality.Young people particularly enjoy this hobby, which doesn't call any specialized technical skills.On these websites, users engage with other users through their virtual profiles, submit images and videos, join groups with similar interests, publish and trade their artistic works, visit other users' pages, and use a range of applications.Although the Internet is a potent tool at our disposal, improper use of it can put someone in danger.
Internet addiction, cyber bullying, cyber porn, cyber suicide, social isolation, and other phenomena are only a few of the negative effects of the Internet's rapid expansion on our daily lives.
The constant use of computers has a detrimental effect on users' physical and mental health, affecting many different systems.Owing to these issues, some users' systems perform differently than others, which has an impact on their quality of life.The most significant of these issues have an impact on the following systems: ophthalmology, neurological system, musculoskeletal system, headaches, and tendency to become obese.

Discussion
There are concerns about how particular personality traits, the social and family environment, and the presence of psychiatric problems may influence Internet use and contribute to its abuse.Internet abuse affects individuals both internally and outside when it occurs.According to research findings, the internal output is the psychological and emotional sector as well as any personality issues that may develop, such as decreased psychological wellness for heavy users.The user's functioning and the issues brought on by fewer real-world activities and little to no connection with the social environment are referred to as the user's external influences.Excessive Internet use can result in strained friendships and family ties, a lack of interest in daily activities, and a disregard for domestic, academic, professional, and other duties that over time degrade life quality.In addition to the concerns associated with improper Internet use that have already been addressed, the Internet has many positive effects that advance human welfare across the board.It provides easy access to information, improves communication, and helps with medical difficulties as well as amusement and education.Sadly, it provides anonymity, which may make it equally risky, particularly for young users.Users should be aware of this and maintain good Internet usage in order to prevent the Internet from negatively affecting their personal lives and financial well-being.

Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that the Internet has many advantages and advances human growth and prosperity across the board.It makes information quickly accessible and makes conversation easier.Internet is nevertheless widely available, simple to access, and used in ways that are potentially dangerous, particularly for young users.In order to maintain proper behaviour and limit excessive use of the information provided on websites, users should be aware of it and evaluate it critically.As a result, no effect will ever manifest itself that could jeopardies the users' personal wellbeing.In actuality, the secret to utilizing the advantages of the Internet is to use it rationally and to preserve balance.