42% of students surveyed by FLAIR are moderately addicted to internet usage, 25% addicted to social media

 In collaboration with FLAIR (Forum for Learning and Action with Innovation and Rigour) and SHICAA (safe and Healthy Internet for Children and Adolescents Alliance) organized a three-day workshop on “Online Safety, well-being, and Digital Resilience” at the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition (IHM), Brambe, Ranchi. Three-day workshops took place on 29th September, 6th October, and 13th October 2023.

The workshop was organized in view of increased digital usage and its impact on mental health. On 29.09.2023, the workshop was organized by the welcome address by Dr. Alok Aswal, Head of Department, IHM followed by the introduction to the seminar and workshop series by Dr. Bhupesh Kumar, Principal. Mr. Ajay Sinha, executive director of FLAIR, talked about the reinforcement of addictive behavior towards the internet and how hormones namely dopamine, serotonin and melatonin play key roles in it. Ajay highlighted that dysfunctional behavior and hormones correspondingly affect sleep and result in lower productivity, poor academic performance, procrastination, and less socialization with the immediate surroundings. He also spoke about “legal and safety measures” and how it affects our mental health at large. After the overview of the issue, Riya Tirkey, a Psychologist conducted the screening assessments of internet addiction, internet gaming disorder, social media disorder, and smartphone addiction in students. The program consisted of a quiz and short video to increase awareness of internet safety. The Second day of the workshop was conducted with the presence of chief guest Mr. Shail Kumar, Deputy Director of the income tax department. The program commenced with the address note and inauguration by Dr, Bhupesh Kumar, Principal followed by a keynote address by Mr. Ajay Kumar Sinha, executive director, of FLAIR. It was followed by a panel discussion in which Ms. Ritisha, Clinical Psychologist, Mr. Raj Kumar, Special Correspondent Hindustan Times, Mr. Nabhojit Dey, Vice President, Global program and services, Adroit Associate, Mr. Ashish Anand, Consultant- Social Development, Department of Agriculture, and Dr. B. Beck, Director and Chairman of Seven Stars Academy, Ranchi, shared their views on the topic. They discussed about healthy internet consumption and how problematic internet usage impacts one’s physical health and mental health. The panel discussion was moderated by Mr. Praveen Raman, Media Advisor, FLAIR. The third day of the workshop began with the mark of Mental Health Day with its theme “Mental health is a universal human right”. The program was further led by Ritisha, a psychologist at FLAIR about mental health problems in students and professionals of hotel management field and solutions of it, she further mentioned how maintaining professional, academic and personal life is plays a significant role in healthy functioning she also told about the kind of services flair provides to promote, maintain and treat the mental health problems at last discussion was held with the students regarding common mental health concern faced by the students and it's possible solutions. The sample data of 98 was collected through screening assessment and analyzed, the sample was from the age group between 18-25 which was assessed on the variable of internet addiction, internet gaming disorder, social media disorder, and smartphone addiction. The result of the data revealed that 29 out of 98 (approximately 29.6%) participants fall under mild internet addiction and 42 out of 98 (approximately 42.9%) students fall under moderate level of internet addiction whereas 2 out of 98 (approximately 2.0%), participant fall under game addiction criterial range and 1 participant fall under the risk of developing addiction towards game addiction, moreover 35 out of 98 (approximately 35.7%) participants were indicative of social media addiction and 39 (approximately 39.8%) participants fall under risky usage of social media, according to the frequency result 25 out of 98 (approximately 25.5%) fall under smartphone addiction and 10 out of 98 (approximately 10.2%) fall under risky usage of the smartphone. The moderate level of addiction is concerning which demands preventive and immediate attention to not only stop us to fall under severity but also guide us to use smartphones healthily. 

These findings provide a statistical overview of the frequencies and proportions of different levels of internet addiction, gaming addiction, social media addiction, and smartphone addiction among the 98 participants surveyed. She also stated that COVID-19 marked the increase of active accounts on any social media platform, according to the survey conducted in Jharkhand in the year 2021 revealed that the active users on social media platforms has increased from 35.94% to 68.75% after covid. The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped our lives and accelerated our reliance on social media and the internet. While these platforms have connected us in a time of isolation, they've also exerted a significant influence on our mental health.The surge in active social media accounts and increased internet use during and after the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our mental health. To navigate these challenges, it's essential to set boundaries, curate our online experiences, and prioritize our well-being. By approaching social media and the internet mindfully, we can harness their benefits while protecting our mental health in this digital age.

While speaking on the findings of the survey Riya stated that the figures underscore prominent severity of social media-related behaviors with the 39 participants suggestive of social media addiction among the surveyed participants, by shedding light on the prevalence of using social media as an emotional escape, excessive preoccupation, and emotional distress when access is restricted. While talking about the possible ways of corrective measures Ritisha stated that one should check early signs and symptoms and consult with mental health professional regarding the internet addiction, turn off or silent the notification of social media, games, applications and websites, people with problematic Internet users can use free application that can track their internet activity and usage by engaging themselves in their hobbies without using internet and people can use remainder to remind themself regarding the enough use of internet for time or day to curb the impact of problematic internet usage.