Internet addiction during COVID-19 restricted movement period: A cross-sectional study from Bangladesh

Introduction

The Internet has become an inseparable element of daily life, providing an integrated platform for communication and access to a broad range of information. In recent decades, the number of Internet users and their use hours has risen significantly.¹ As of March 2021, 65.6% of the global population were using the Internet, with 1,331.9% growth between 2000-2021.² However, excessive or limitless use can result in Internet addiction, also known as “pathological Internet use” or “problematic Internet use”. It can cause significant distress and functional impairments in daily life and comorbid psychiatric disorders such as depression, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and substance abuse.^3,4

Mark D. Griffiths was the first to publish a scientific article on Internet addiction in November 1996.⁵ The term ‘Internet addiction’ is often defined as a situation in which a person has lost control of their Internet usage and continues to use it excessively to the point that they encounter negative consequences that adversely influence their lives.⁶ It has become a severe concern for mental health in different groups of people on different parts of the world, including South Korea (20.0%), China (16.4%), Vietnam (21.2%), Bangladesh (32.6%) and the Philippines (21.0%).^7–10 Its prevalence is also increasing in the Western countries.¹¹

The COVID-19 pandemic had unprecedented social, economic, and healthcare consequences, and it caused widespread psychological issues. During the COVID-19 pandemic, relatively high rates of anxiety (6.33%-50.9%), depression (14.6%-48.3%), and posttraumatic stress disorder (7.0%-53.8%) were reported in the general population.^12–15 These traumatic emotional reactions contribute to the development and relapse of addictive behaviours, including substance and behavioural addictions.¹⁶ Disasters, such as large-scale natural catastrophe and economic downturns, have boosted rates of Internet addiction.^17,18 When individuals with disordered coping mechanisms are exposed to stressful or traumatic situations, they are more likely to develop internet addiction.¹⁹ Social distancing and isolation measures for pandemic containment may potentially lead to increased Internet usage, putting vulnerable groups in danger of becoming addicted to the Internet.²⁰

The significant efforts from the Bangladesh government to deploy digital technology and transform life on a considerable level have resulted in more access to the Internet than ever before. As a consequence, there has been a substantial growth in the number of people using the Internet. By the end of January 2021, the total number of Internet customers had risen to 112.7 million and 103.2 million of them are mobile Internet users.²¹ Although the figure is attractive, this may also be regarded as a problem for the general population of Bangladesh as it is widely assumed that the hours spent on Internet usage increased during COVID-19 restricted movement period. Since identifying the first COVID case in Bangladesh, the government has imposed several restrictions on public transportation, businesses, schools, and all public and private offices except emergency services.²² These restrictions confined people to stay more at home and appeared to spend more time on the internet as the offline medium of accomplishing daily works and recreations was limited. This excessive usage has several adverse outcomes that are gradually becoming apparent.²³

Considering the above facts, we have commenced an online survey to assess the prevalence of Internet addiction among the general population and identify the risk factors for increased severity in Internet addiction in Bangladesh during the restricted movement period.

Methods

Results

A total of 315 respondents were included in the final analysis. We received participation from respondents of various socio-demographic backgrounds by social class and place of residence. Overall, 22.3% of the respondents (n =70) had Internet addiction prior to restricted movement period. On the other hand, 39.8% (n =125) reported having internet addiction during COVID-19 restricted movement period (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Prevalence of internet addiction among general population in Bangladesh: (A) prior to COVID-19 restricted movement period, (B) during COVID-19 restricted movement period.

Discussion

The study aimed to determine the prevalence of Internet addiction among the general population of Bangladesh during the COVID-19 restricted movement period. Furthermore, the study also sought to identify the factors associated with the increase in severity of Internet addiction.

Our study provides evidence of the remarkably high prevalence of Internet addiction during the period of interest. Nearly 40% of the respondents reported suffering from Internet addiction, close to a during-pandemic Internet addiction study conducted in China.²⁹ We also observed that the prevalence during the restricted movement period was much higher than the pre-COVID-19 period (39.7%/22.3%). One probable explanation is that more individuals spend time on the Internet during this time. The fear caused by the COVID-19 virus, as well as the implications of lockdown, stress, and anxiety have modified people’s behaviour. Nearly three-fourths of the respondents reported increasing time spent on recreational use of the Internet during the period of interest, and about half of the respondents reported increases in the severity of Internet addiction. As people had to stay more at home and the range of leisure activities (e.g., socializing, outdoor activities, etc.) became limited due to COVID, they were severely seeking an alternative source of refreshment. The recreational use of Internet filled the vacant place with a greater possession.

We found economic status of the family was a significantly associated factor with Internet addiction. Respondents from the lower social class were 2.35 times more likely to report an increase in severity of Internet addiction than respondents from higher social class. In line with our findings, studies conducted in Turkey and Greece also observed the inverse relationship between social class and Internet addiction.^30,31 This might be because low-income individuals frequently prefer the Internet in this direction as a substitute for hobbies that require monetary resources to release tension, spend time, and make fun.

Increased time spent on recreational use of the Internet was revealed as a positively associated factor with increased severity of Internet addiction during restricted movement period in our multivariable logistic regression model. Several previous studies reported that individuals who spend the most time on Facebook, Instagram and other recreational platforms have a much greater risk of reporting depression than those who spend the least time.^32,33 And a study conducted in India reported a significant positive relationship between depression and internet addiction.³⁴ Recreational platforms are designed to capture people’s interest, keep them online, and keep them monitoring the screen for updates. It is how businesses generate money. But at the same time, excessive use of the platforms contributes to developing several psychological issues, including internet addiction, our study is evident.

On the other hand, being a housewife or an online professional were identified as protective factors for increased severity of internet addiction compared to students. In accordance with us, Soule et al. also stated that students are more at risk of developing internet addiction.³⁵ The possible reason could be that during the restricted movement period, students had more free time to spend on the internet as the educational institutes were remained closed while the other professionals were struggling to maintain their professional flow. That is why it is required to develop and implement occupation-specific intervention plans to reduce excessive addiction to the internet, especially during a pandemic, and prevent long-term negative psychological consequences.

We also identified that people with shortened sleep duration were at a higher risk for increased severity in Internet addiction during the restricted movement period. Although it is well-established that Internet addiction is associated with frequent sleep disturbance, shortened sleeping hours and poor sleep quality,^36,37 in our case, we can explain the relationship from the other side of the mirror. A study conducted in Greece found that anxiety levels were much higher in persons who slept for a short period.³⁸ In link with the finding, the famous psychologist Dr Christina Gregory stated that those who are already suffering from anxiety or depression often turn to the Internet to relieve their suffering. As it is emotionally rewarding, it transforms into Internet addiction eventually.³⁹

Conclusion

The prevalence of Internet addiction was significantly enhanced among the general population in Bangladesh during the restricted movement period, which is in line with other studies conducted in different parts of the world. We created a detailed profile of the consequences of restricted movement on the Internet addiction in Bangladesh’s general population. We also shared our concern about the influence of the restricted movement on vulnerable communities; lack of proper recognition of the crisis may penetrate the problem in a deeper stage. Evidence-based early preventions like cognitive behavioural therapy are required for vulnerable group. The study could be a good base for policymakers to understand the severity of the problem better and undertake policies to confront long-term impact.

Data availability