Abstract:

Abstract Objective: to identify internet use and social participation of High School students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: quantitative, exploratory and descriptive study, carried out in 2021, in a High School in a municipality in the state of Sergipe, Brazil. Data were collected through an online questionnaire using the Internet Addiction Test and the Social Participation Questionnaire. Results: 49 High School students participated and, prior to the pandemic, 73.46% already had mild internet dependence, with an increase in the level of dependence to moderate during the pandemic, from 24.5% to 34.7%. Most had an average level of social participation, with an expected decrease during the pandemic. Conclusion: strategies for the continuity of daily activities during the pandemic may have favored increased internet use and dependence, as well as affected social participation.

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