Paper Title
INTERNET ADDICTION PREVALENCE AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS AND ITS EFFECTS ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Abstract
The rapid advancement of contemporary information technology has made the Internet a necessary component of people's everyday lives. In addition to serving various vital purposes, including communication and information access, the Internet has emerged as a critical resource for the educational sector. There are now over 4 billion Internet users globally, which translates to 51% of the global population. Approximately 70% of teens in Europe spend two to four hours a day on the Internet, while 93% of teenagers in the US use it. Internet addiction affects 36.9% of medical students, according to Malaysian research. According to Shener's (2020) research, students' conduct, academic achievement, and professional success can all be adversely impacted by prolonged Internet use. Objective: To assess the frequency of Internet addiction among medical students and examine its effects on academic performance. Methods: A quantitative survey design was employed for the survey. The sample consisted of students who used the Internet and were open to participating in the study. Students with chronic diseases and mental problems, however, were not included. A pre-validated questionnaire was utilized to collect general demographic information, Internet usage habits, usage goals, and socioeconomic standing from research participants. Dr. Kimberly Young, a psychologist from the United States, created the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) to assess the level of Internet addiction. The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) used a 20-item, 6-point Likert scale. Result: The study included 127 medical students, of which 89.8% (n=114) were female and 10.2% (n=13) were male. 68.5% (n=87) of respondents had a first-quarter GPA between 2.0 and 3.0, 21.3% (n=27) had a GPA below 2.0, and 10.2% (n=13) had a GPA over 3.0. In terms of living arrangements, 77.2% (n=98) reside in apartments, 18.9% (n=24) in dorms, and 3.9% (n=5) in houses. When it comes to the purpose of using the Internet, the majority, 92.1% (n=117), use it for both education and entertainment, 6.3% (n=8) for simply entertainment, and 1.6% (n=2) for only education. 41.7% (n=53) said they spend four hours or more with others, 34.6% (n=44) said they spend two to four hours, and 23.6% (n=30) said they spend less than two hours. In terms of Internet usage, 48.8% (n=62) use it for 2-4 hours each day, 43.3% (n=55) use it for more than 4 hours, and 7.9% (n=10) use it for less than 2 hours. Living circumstances and GPA did not substantially correlate with Internet addiction (p=0.819, p=0.901). Variables such as the purpose of Internet use and the frequency of Facebook and Instagram use were not associated with addiction (p>0.05). Nevertheless, there was a statistically significant correlation between Internet addiction and characteristics including the preferred method of communication (p=0.04), the amount of time spent online each day (p=0.003), and the amount of time spent engaging with people (p=0.001). For instance, students who spent four or more hours a day on the Internet had a comparatively high rate of Internet addiction. Additionally, students who engaged in fewer than two hours of daily social interaction had greater levels of addiction, indicating a possible link between addiction and unhealthy social connections. Conclusion: This study has a distinct advantage because it is the first to measure the level of internet addiction among medical students and their usage patterns, behavior, and professional performance. In addition, since the study was conducted using a cross-sectional design, it is not possible to determine the causal relationship between variables such as internet addiction and professional performance. Long-term follow-up research is required in the future. Keywords - Addiction, Success, Assesment