The Problem of Smartphone Addiction Among High School Students in Japan

Smartphone addiction is an important social and health issue among adolescents and young adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of smartphone addiction among high school students in Japan and to identify factors associated with smartphone addiction among Japanese adolescents studying in high schools. A total of 520 high school students from Japan participated in the study. 42% of the students were classified as having smartphone addiction. According to the study, being female increases the likelihood of smartphone addiction. An increase in daily smartphone use among high school students was associated with an increase in the likelihood of smartphone addiction in a dose-dependent manner - from 2 to 4 hours. However, young people who have stable family ties (in particular, those whose parents regularly noticed when they were unhappy) were less likely to be addicted to smartphones. Thus, parental involvement in the lives of schoolchildren reduces smartphone addiction among them.