Ubiquitous access to the Internet and digitalization has lead to people completing many of their activities online using a smartphone or other handheld devices such as a tablet. Regular usage of information technology could potentially affect their cognitive processes. In this research, we investigate how different types of online activities influence people’s cognitive engagement. Further, we also examine the role of various key mediators such as personal innovativeness, playfulness, and self-efficacy in explaining the effect of information technology use on cognition. Data was collected from 351 Indian users, and the structural equation modeling technique was employed to test and analyze the research model. The results show that online activities associated with content delivery positively affect cognitive engagement, while online activities associated with entertainment negatively affect cognitive engagement. Familiarity with information technology has a positive effect on cognitive engagement. We also find that personal innovativeness, playfulness, and self-efficacy mediate the effect of information technology usage on cognition. The results of the study have both theoretical and practical implications.