Internet Addiction in Africa: A Study of Namibia and Ugandan College Students.

Abstract

Digital devices (mobile phones, computers, tablets, etc.), the Internet, easy access to online information, and social networking sites have led to the charge in promoting the phenomenon of Internet addiction (IA). This research examines the suitability and validity of a well-established instrument for measuring IA among college students in Africa. Date collected from 311 university students in Namibia and 150 university students in Uganda is used to validate the instrument and also to measure the levels of Internet addiction among students. The analysis shows that a sizable majority of the students in both countries suffer frequent addiction problems due to the Internet use. Also, the results indicate that the underlying Internet addiction psychometric constructs are different in the African context than those in the western world.