ArticleJMIR formative research2026
Internet Addiction Among School Children: Cross-Sectional Analytical Study.
Article in JMIR formative research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Internet use is rapidly increasing in Sri Lanka. Excessive use can lead to addiction with significant consequences, particularly among adolescents. While internet addiction has been documented worldwide, data from Sri Lanka remain limited. A validated local tool is required to assess the prevalence and associated factors in this population. Objective: This study aimed to translate and validate the Young Internet Addiction Test (IAT) into Sinhala, assess the prevalence of internet addiction among school-going adolescents aged 15 to 19 years in the Western Province of Sri Lanka, and identify demographic and behavioral characteristics associated with internet addiction. Methods: We conducted a 2-phase cross-sectional analytical study in Colombo and Gampaha districts. Phase 1 involved translation and validation of the Sinhala IAT using confirmatory factor analysis (n=200) and test-retest reliability assessment (n=40). Phase 2 involved multistage stratified cluster sampling to recruit 2835 students. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires assessing demographics, internet use patterns, and internet addiction. Results: The Sinhala IAT demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach α=0.98) and strong test-retest reliability (r=0.95; P<.001). Among 2835 students with complete data, 1803 (63.6%) were current internet users. The overall prevalence of internet addiction among internet users was 12.6% (227/1803; 95% CI 11.2%-14.0%), including mild addiction at 8.2% (147/1803; 95% CI 6.9%-9.5%), moderate addiction at 3.5% (64/1803; 95% CI 2.7%-4.5%), and severe addiction at 0.9% (16/1803; 95% CI 0.4%-1.4%). No significant associations were found with sex (male and female; odds ratio 1.13, 95% CI 0.86-1.49; P=.14), age group (P=.23), or parental education (P=.34). The most common online activities were entertainment (1522/1803, 84.4%), gaming (1251/1803, 69.4%), and social media use (1127/1803, 62.5%). Mean daily use was 2.1 (SD 1.8) hours, with 10.0% (180/1803) reporting single sessions of ≥6 hours. Conclusions: This study provides the first systematic evidence of internet addiction in adolescents in Sri Lanka. The predominance of mild to moderate severity suggests an opportunity for early intervention.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.