Internet plays a fundamental role in society. It is an easy access for information exchange and
academic research. Prolonged use of internet can lead to internet addiction resulting in marked
distress and/or functional impairment in psychological, physical and social daily life activities.
Objective: Assess the relation between health status and internet addiction among adolescents.
Setting: The study was conducted at outpatient clinics at Damanhour Medical National Institute.
Subjects: Simple random sample of 200 adolescents of both sexes were included, their ages ranged
from 13-18 years. Tools: Three tools were used; Socio-demographic Characteristics of the
Adolescents and Their Pattern of Internet Usage, Internet Addiction Test and Assessment of Internet
Addiction Consequences on the Health Status among Adolescents. Results: The present study revealed
that the majority of the adolescents (87%) used the internet daily and (85%) of them used internet at
night. The most commonly reported adverse physical effects were: eye irritation, followed by wrist
&arm pain, and numbness and tingling in the hand fingers. Nearly three-quarter of the adolescents
(73.5%) were eating junk food and skipping basic meals. Adolescents' sleep duration was affected by
internet usage as reported by two thirds of adolescents (67%). Two thirds of the adolescents' families
complained about their prolonged duration of using internet. Half of adolescents (50%) had bad mood
during attempts to reduce the internet usage. Conclusion: Excessive internet use is associated with
adverse health effects and unhealthy behaviors. Recommendations: A concentrated awareness
program to be planned targeting school specialists and parents, and implementation of different
workshops for adolescents about physical, psychological and social risks of excessive internet use.