ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2020
Internet Addiction and Related Psychological Factors Among Children and Adolescents in China During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Epidemic.
Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 176 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
176 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 427 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of digital addiction on youth health: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2025Pooled it
- Family-based therapy for internet addiction among adolescents and young adults: A meta-analysis.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2024Pooled it
- Prevalence of sleep disturbances in children and adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic: a meta-analysis and systematic review of epidemiological surveys.Translational psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- The impact of the pandemic on psychophysical well-being and quality of learning in the growth of adolescents (aged 11-13): a systematic review of the literature with a PRISMA method.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Pooled it
- Prevalence of mental health symptoms in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Mental health effects prevalence in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review.Worldviews on evidence-based nursing · 2022Pooled it
- Global Prevalence of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Children and Adolescents During COVID-19: A Meta-analysis.JAMA pediatrics · 2021Pooled it
- The Prevalence of Mental Problems for Chinese Children and Adolescents During COVID-19 in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2021Pooled it
- Digital Media Use and Adolescents' Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2021Pooled it
- Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Digital Fatigue Among Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Association between problematic smartphone use, loneliness, and risk behaviors among high school students in a conflict-affected setting: A cross-sectional study from Palestine.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Exploring the relationship between problem-solving skills and prosocial behaviors in adolescents in Turkey.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Association between Internet addiction and mental health problems among Chinese adolescents in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era: a propensity score matching study.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- An Object Hiding Behind the Screen: The Relationship Between Body Surveillance and Internet Addiction Among Chinese Women.Archives of sexual behavior · 2026Article
- From Alexithymia To Internet Addiction: Uncovering Emotional and Developmental Mechanisms.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2026Article
- The associations between PTSD symptom clusters, insomnia, and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents with low and high levels of internet addiction: A cross-lagged network analysis.Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy · 2026Article
- Associations of mobile internet use and depressive symptoms with cognitive performance among Chinese adolescents: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
- Cross-lagged analysis of depression symptoms and internet addiction tendencies among first-year university students and the moderating effects of urban-rural background and sibling status.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Association between game addiction and lifetime psychotic-like experiences among high school students: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Internet addiction and anxiety-depressive comorbidity among chinese adolescents: the mitigating effects of physical activity in a large-scale cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
116 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease presenting a major threat to public health. This study aims to assess Internet use characteristics and objectively examine the potential psychological factors associated with Internet addiction (IA) during the COVID-19 epidemic.
methodsA cross-sectional, anonymized, self-reported survey was conducted among Chinese children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years old. Participants completed questionnaires containing Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and questions regarding demographic information and Internet use characteristics.
resultsA total of 2050 participants (mean age:12.34 ± 4.67 years old, female: 48.44%) were enrolled. Fifty-five (2.68%) participants met the criterion for addictive Internet use (IAT≥70), while 684 (33.37%) participants were classified as problematic Internet users (69≥IAT≥40). Internet usage had grown during the COVID-19 epidemic, including the frequency and duration of recreational Internet use, and the frequency of stay-up Internet use. A linear regression analysis showed female gender (β=-0.091, p<0.001), age (β=0.066, p=0.001), depression (β=0.257, p<0.001), and stress (β=0.323, p<0.001) were significantly correlated with the IAT total scores (R=0.539, R
conclusionsWe observed excessive Internet use among Chinese children and adolescents during the outbreak of COVID-19. Age, gender, depression, and stress were the potential key factors affecting IA. Extended family and professional support should be considered for vulnerable individuals during these unprecedented times.
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