Beginning in the late 2000s, smartphones gained popularity all over the world. The number of users is rapidly increasing following the new versions of smartphones and extension of various application softwares. Smartphones are mobile devices that enable internet access and communication. Users can access and get information on the web with the phone using cellular data. In response, experts are coming up with new technology to broaden their market. According to the article Addictive Personality and Problematic Mobile Phone Use^[1] the main reason behind the cell phone addiction may be the clever marketing of cell phones as a status symbol. Having the phone has become a way to identify oneself. However, one always needs to be aware of the amount of time spent on the phone. Otherwise, it could result in an addiction that interferes with daily life.

-Koreans love cell phones, as shown by a recent survey by digital media and marketing solution firm DMC Media that found four out of 10 Koreans tend toward smartphone addiction



When?

-Although devices combining telephony and computing were conceptualized as early as 1973 and were offered for sale beginning in 1994, the term "smartphone" did not appear until 1997, when Ericsson described its GS 88 "Penelope" concept as a "Smart Phone"
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Beginning in the late 2000s, smartphones gained popularity all over the world.

Who?

-A survey from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education shows about 7 percent of primary to secondary school students are at risk of becoming addicted to their smartphone. The rate of those who use smartphones excessively grew from 0.9 percent among fourth graders, to 7.2 percent among seventh graders and 8.9 percent among tenth graders. Those considered at risk often felt anxiety when separated from their phone, which adversely affected their sleep, concentration and overall health. The survey was conducted on 300,000 students at 1,300 local schools. The education office says with the survey results in mind, it will begin counseling for at risk students.

-A survey of grade school and university students in Seoul show female students are three times more likely to be addicted to and dependent on their smartphones, compared to their male counterparts. In a survey by the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Gangbuk I will Center, six percent of the 1,447 participating students said they were addicted to their devices. By age, middle school students were the most vulnerable to the addition followed by elementary, college and high school students. Those considered addicts spent upwards of 7 hours on their device, daily, while the data also found correlations between levels of anxiety or depression and smartphone addiction.



Where?

Smartphone addiction, often called communication addiction disorder, is a serious problem in Korea. The Ministry of Public Administration and Security reported that 8.4 percent of smartphone users in Korea are considered addicts, and 10.1 percent of Koreans overuse social networking services such as Facebook and You Tube.




<Categories> The bad effects of Smartphone Addiction


1.
 Social effects of smartphones
-Reduces people's social skills that may lead to improper quality of life.

-Destroy family's relationships, have no talking time.

-some people turn to their smartphones to ease their mental or emotional stress, in the same way as some people turn to food in order to cope with their problems.
 2.
 psychological effects when he or she stops using smartphones.

-A woman charges her smartphone in a Seoul subway station, apparently unwilling to wait until she gets home to start using her phone.

-When people stops using smartphones even a little, people turn aggressively.
- Sign of instant depression and anxiety.

3.
Impacts of Smartphone on the body(Physical effects)

 -when using smartphones, they are exposed to the content in the devices only, so the phones obstruct them in developing the ability to empathize with others, cognitive power and linguistic ability,” Kim Mi-young, chief of Irara Child Development Institute, said.
-According to a recent experiment conducted by a local broadcaster, the right frontal lobe of a child immersed in a smartphone became less active
-the overuse of smartphones and the Internet among addicts is so severe as to cause dissociation, disorientation, time distortion, instant gratification and compulsion. In particular, they contend that the excessive use of computer and mobile gadgets changes an addict’s brain structure, thus impairing his or her short-term memory and decision-making abilities.








Solution

 the Health and Welfare Ministry plans to provide health insurance coverage to smartphone and Internet addicts. It considers these addictions similar to smoking and alcohol addictions, and plans to institute programs providing accessible and affordable treatment for smartphone and Internet addicts.