2 out of 10 smartphone users in Korea are’at risk of overdependence’

It was found that two out of ten smartphone users in Korea are over-dependent on smartphones.

On the 10th, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Intelligent Information Society Agency (NIA) surveyed 10,000 households in 17 cities and provinces across the country last year for control of smartphone use, health and daily life problems, etc. The proportion of the risk group was calculated as 23.3%. This is a 3.3 percentage point increase from the previous year.

By age group, the proportion of children at risk of overdependence (aged 3 to 9) was 27.3%, a 4.4% increase from the previous year. Adolescents (ages 10-19) recorded 35.8%, a 5.6 percentage point increase over the previous year. Adults (ages 20 to 59) were counted at 22.2%, a 3.4 percentage point increase from the previous year.

As a result of a survey on the perception of the problem of over-dependence on smartphones in our society, 81.9% of the surveyed responded that it was’somewhat or very serious’. When asked about the person who solves the overdependence problem, 61% answered’individual’, followed by companies (21.8%) and government (17.2%).

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to provide education and counseling through the’Smart Rest Center’ operated in 17 cities and provinces nationwide to prevent dependence on smartphones. It is planning to develop and distribute customized preventive contents to children and adolescents. In particular, the plan is to expand the policy to prevent over-dependence by conducting’going over-dependence education and counseling’ in connection with the digital learning center.