The impact of COVID-19 on Internet addiction and mental health: A brief overview

Abstract

Introduction. Beginning as a wave of unexplained pneumonia cases in Wuhan in December 2019, the novel coronavirus SARS-Cov-2 illness (COVID-19) spread throughout the world and posed a major threat to public health. People's lives were changing quickly, and COVID-19 instances were spreading quickly over the world, making people frightful. One of the ways in which the COVID-19 epidemic impacted people's lives was through the increased use of the Internet, particularly social media platforms. Research from the past undoubtedly connected the pandemic to symptoms of stress, sadness, worry, and suicide thoughts, in addition to increased Internet use. Research undertaken globally showed that an individual's propensity to develop an Internet addiction was positively correlated with the level of stress they experienced related to the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods. We reviewed the scientific literature on Internet addiction, mental health, and COVID-19. Conclusion. We came to the conclusion that more time was spent online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the aforementioned facts led to a decrease in social activities, which in turn caused Internet addiction. This resulted in psychological distress, increasing the feelings of loneliness and depression.