Investigation the Association of Internet Addiction with Mental Health and Physical Activity in Teenage Girls: The Mediating Role of Parental Attitude

Internet addiction is nowadays believed to be the most prevalent harm that currently affects families, especially teenagers and young adults. In the current research, we aimed to further delve into it by examining the association of Internet addiction with mental health and physical activity in teenage girls, considering the mediating role of parental attitude toward Internet use. Herein, 459 girls attending state schools of Tehran, Iran in 2022 were recruited utilizing convenience sampling method. The mean age of these girls was 12.21±1.28 years old. Standard instruments were used for assessing physical activity, mental health, and parental attitude toward Internet use. Pearson correlation test and structural equation modelling were also utilized for data analysis. The present study revealed that on average, teenage girls had low levels of physical activity (1.97±1.54). In addition, they were found to use a relatively high amount of the Internet (2.18±1.76). Moreover, Internet addition was significantly and directly associated with mental health (depression, T=5.769; anxiety, T=3.332; stress, T=4.529). This issue was also significantly and indirectly associated with physical activity (T=-6.482). Finally, parental attitude had a significant mediating role in the association of Internet addition with mental health and physical activity (both P<0.001). Our results indicated that parents should receive some necessary training on the use of the Internet at home both for themselves and their children so that they can better control over the development process of their children.