Internet affects 85.9 per cent students in Bangladesh mentally

News Desk  :
The mental health of students in Bangladesh is affected by internet, with 85.9 per cent of them suffering from mental illness due to an extended period of webpage browsing, a study has found.

The study titled ‘Impact of internet use on students’ mental health: how much caution is necessary?’ was conducted by Aachol Foundation, a non-profit organisation that aimed to create awareness about the students’ mental health.

The survey was conducted over 1,773 students of different educational institutions from December 2022 to May 2023 across the country.
49.5 per cent of the participants were female and 49.7 per cent male.

The survey shows that 34.3 per cent students feel a negative impact of internet on their lifestyle while 59.6 per cent are unable to concentrate on their study.

It found that only 38.2 per cent students used internet for academic purposes while 42.9 per cent for communication, 67.5 per cent for pleasure, 8 per cent for financial transactions, 24.9 per cent for online gaming or watching movies and 12.6 per cent for online shopping.

As per the report, 17.8 per cent students engage in online bullying, betting, cybercrime and watching pornography.

It revealed that 23 per cent of those that participated in the study gradually became more introvert, 35.6 per cent underwent various forms of stress including depression, and 20.3 per cent developed isolation.

According to the findings of the organisation’s final survey carried out in the previous year, 70.73 per cent students were affected by the use of electronic devices for various purposes including studies.

This year’s survey said that 32.3 per cent internet users browsed internet for two to four hours every day, 36.6 per cent five to seven hours, 19.5 per cent eight to 10 hours, 6.2 per cent for 11 hours or more and 5.4 per cent less than an hour.

At least 3.5 per cent students reported never communicating with their relatives and 19.2 per cent not communicating with their
families very often, creating a familial distance.

Among the students, 18.6 per cent were found to be studying at madrasa level and higher secondary level, 64.3 per cent at graduate level, 8.4 per cent at post-graduate level while 8.7 per cent were searching for an income source.

The survey shows that 23.6 per cent isolated themselves and made a virtual world for themselves, 19.5 per cent had trouble finding people to talk to openly and 9.9 per cent had trouble having social interaction.

According to the survey, 58.7 per cent respondents admitted that they did not always get enough sleep.

It added that students suffered a variety of medical issues as a result of using internet for an extended period of time including 53.6 per cent experiencing sleep disturbances, 34.5 per cent experiencing discomfort and dizziness, 19.2 per cent experiencing appetite loss, 24.3 per cent experiencing eye problems and 27.8 per cent feeling haziness and fatigue.

According to the findings, 32.9 percent of students browse websites with pornographic or sexually explicit contents.

Kamal Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, professor of clinical psychology department at Dhaka University, said that young people particularly those aged between 19 and 30 years were suffering from depression and other socio-emotional illnesses.

‘They are also experiencing an alarming rise in suicide rates. The internet appears to have some influence in this regard,’ he added.

Aachol Foundation president Tansen Rose said that the survey found that primarily students opted to use internet for entertainment purposes.

‘The internet distracts students from their studies. The learners suffer as a result of their lack of digital literacy,’ he added.