Introduction: most adolescents use the Internet without any impact on their health, however some people in this population group may present a loss of control over the use of it, which can lead to a problematic use and even an addiction to the Internet.
Objective: to identify the types of Internet use in high school students, the possible causes and its relationship with impulsivity.
Method: an observational, transversal, analytical and ex post facto study was performed in a stratified sample of 123 middle school students and 125 high school students aged 12 to 18 enrolled in two schools in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, using the Internet Addiction Test by Young, in Spanish.
Results: 83% of the students present control over the use of the Internet, 17% presented a problematic use and no Internet addiction was found. The problematic use was higher among middle school students (23%) than among high school students (10%). Impulsivity was not statistically significant related with a problematic use of Internet, but using it more than six hours and using it exclusively for social networks were positive indicators.
Discussion and conclusions: there was no significant relationship between impulsivity and problematic use of the Internet; however, the associated risk factors may cause a decrease of students’ family and social interaction. The findings of this work can be a guide for future lines of research that deepen the knowledge of this problem.