The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that depression mediated the association between stressful life events and Internet addiction. The participants were randomly recruited from 5 vocational schools in Anhui Province, China and completed a succession of self-completed questionnaires including the Young Internet Addiction Test, the Adolescent Self-rating Life Events Checklist, and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. A structural equation model was applied to examine the mediating role of depression in the association between stressful life events and Internet addiction. The frequency and severity of stressful life events was higher in the Internet addiction group than that in the average Internet use group. Participants in the Internet addiction group experienced more depression when compared to average Internet users. Significant and positive correlations between stressful life events, depression and Internet addiction were detected. The standardized path coefficients from life events to depression and from depression to Internet addiction were significant. The path from life events to internet addiction was also significant. The findings suggested that life events associated with Internet addiction both directly and indirectly, depression mediated the association between life events and Internet addiction. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.