South Korea has one of the highest ownership of smartphones in the world. More than 98% of South Korean teens used one in 2018, according to government figures — and many are showing signs of addiction.
Last year, around 30% of South Korean children aged 10 to 19 were classed as “overdependent” on their phones, according to the Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology (MSIT). That means they experienced “serious consequences” due to their smartphone use, including a decline in self-control.
It’s those children who qualify for a place on government-run camps to treat internet addiction. The program started in 2007 and expanded in 2015 to include smartphones.
Detox camp
South Korean internet camps are free, aside for a 100,000 won ($84) fee for food. Boys and girls are sent to separate camps, and each caters for around 25 students.
At camp, the teenagers are encouraged to participate in scavenger hunts, arts and crafts activities, and sports events. They also have to attend compulsory one-on-one, group and family counseling sessions to discuss their phone usage. Then, for 30 minutes before sleep, the campers meditate.
Many of the camps are held in youth training centers, away from the city, in green, leafy settings to help the young addicts switch off.
Camp director Yoo Soon-duk said for the first few days the teenagers have an “agonized look” on their faces. “From the third day, you can see how they change,” she said. “They (start to) enjoy hanging out with friends.”
Why South Korea’s teens are so addicted
South Korea is not the only country where teenagers are hooked on phones — worries are growing about excessive smartphone use worldwide.
In 2015, 16% of 15-year-olds in OECD countries spent more than six hours online each day outside school hours, according to a report published in 2017. On weekends, the figure rose to 26%.
In South Korea, societal pressures are exacerbating the problem. There, children face a heavy academic workload and have few ways to relax. At the end of the school day, many are sent to cram classes, leaving little time for other activities.
In 2015, just 46.3% of 15-year-old South Korean students reported exercising or practicing sports before or after school — the lowest percentage of all 36 OECD countries.
Students said they used their smartphone to relieve stress from school. “I temporarily forget my stress when I’m on my phone,” one student said. “But the moment I stop using it, things that made me upset come back to my mind. It became a vicious cycle.”
Dr. Lee Jae-won, a psychiatrist who treats smartphone addiction, said that cycle was a symptom of addiction. When humans are stressed, it reduces dopamine in the brain, prompting them to seek other forms of satisfaction. Because teens don’t have other ways to relieve stress, they use their smartphones, he said.
“At first, smartphones comfort them, but they eventually think that a smartphone is enough to make them happy,” Dr. Lee said. “This leads them to give up school or studies.”
The problems with addiction
In the short term, a smartphone obsession can impact school grades, but the struggle to put down their phones can also have longer term effects for teens.
Over time, internet addicts can become socially isolated and suffer symptoms of withdrawal including “feelings of anger, tension, anxiety and/or depression,” according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
“There’s a high chance that they will live alone after losing family, jobs and friends,” said Dr. Lee.
Not spending time with their family and friends could mean they don’t develop the ability to solve interpersonal conflicts, said Yoo, the camp director. She recalled one teenage camp attendee who threatened to take his own life if he couldn’t leave the camp.
“For him, a smartphone was a bridge to society,” she said.
The South Korea government hopes that treating addiction early can prevent problems in the future.
“Later, when (these adolescents) grow up and have a hard time performing their social roles, not only is there a damage to an individual, but also the nation’s resources will be spent in order to support them. It’ll be a double loss,” said Kim Seong-byeok, the chief of the department that oversees the camps at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
— source cnn.com | Sophie Jeong | Oct 21, 2019
Do not use internet in mobile phones.