| Sumario: | Highlights: What are the main findings? Beyond demographic and health-related factors, attitudinal variables independently predicted both online health information-seeking and cyberchondria severity. Family-related factors, including lower paternal educational level and absence of parental chronic conditions, were also associated with higher cyberchondria, suggesting a role for parental mediation in adolescents' digital health behaviors. What are the implications of the main findings? Prevention strategies should move beyond knowledge-based approaches and also target beliefs that may drive and reinforce excessive online searching. Healthcare professionals should be trained to identify cyberchondria in adolescents and guide them towards reliable digital resources. Background/Objectives: Cyberchondria is the compulsive and repetitive search for health-related information online. Adolescents may be vulnerable to cyberchondria due to extensive Internet use and developing health literacy skills; however, evidence from Italy remains limited. The aim of this study is to examine knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to cyberchondria among Italian adolescents aged 10–19 years and identify the associated factors. Methods: This cross-sectional investigation was conducted from January to March 2025 among adolescents in Naples, southern Italy. Data collection relied on a self-administered structured questionnaire, including the Cyberchondria Severity Scale-12 (CSS-12). Two multivariate logistic regression models identified independent predictors of online health information-seeking and high cyberchondria (CSS-12 ≥ 32 points). Results: Among 793 participants (mean age 15.8 ± 2.2 years; 50% female), 59.7% used the Internet to seek health information, and this behavior was independently associated with older age, female gender, lower self-perceived health, chronic conditions, and increasing CSS-12 values. The mean CSS-12 score reached 31.2 ± 8.3, and 53.4% of participants scored ≥ 32 points. Higher cyberchondria was associated with believing that the Internet is useful for health decision-making, needing more information about cyberchondria, needing more information about a health topic, perceiving the Internet as important for health resources, having a father with a high school diploma or less, and having parents without underlying chronic medical conditions. Conclusions: Italian adolescents commonly use the Internet to seek health information, and they present non-negligible cyberchondria levels. This study's findings emphasize the need for targeted educational interventions promoting safe and critical online health information-seeking behaviors.
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