News in Easy English: Japanese teen uses smartphone for 11 hours, 26 minutes a day
NAGOYA -- Children are spending more time online, and this is becoming a social problem.Read the full English articleRead the original Japanese articl
NAGOYA -- In today's world, children are spending more time online, which has become a growing concern. Shiori, a 14-year-old junior high school student, is receiving help from a child psychiatrist in Nagoya. She has had her first smartphone since fourth grade. When she started junior high school, her relationship with her homeroom teacher deteriorated.
Before summer vacation, she began feeling unwell. Her mother observed that Shiori sometimes exhibited strange behavior or would abruptly leave the house. As she missed more school, Shiori started using her smartphone more frequently. Now, she spends most of her day at home.
When Shiori has free time, she sits in the living room with her phone, watching numerous videos about her interests, like dance and nail art. She also engages in creative activities online. One day, she used her smartphone for an astonishing 11 hours and 26 minutes, which is more than twice the average time spent online by junior high school students, according to a Children and Families Agency survey.
Shiori uses her phone for studying as well, but she gets bored quickly and ends up wasting hours on her device aimlessly. Her mother is unsure of what to do. Shiori's makeup and textbooks often remain in the family's shared space, and even when asked to clean them up, she remains on her phone. The family has established rules for screen time, but they have not been effective.
Shiori is not pleased with this situation. Sometimes, she manages to stop using her phone voluntarily. She says, "I take a bath at 7, and then I do it." She also takes medication to help her sleep at the proper time.
Meieki Sako Mental Clinic, where Shiori receives care, frequently encounters children dealing with issues related to social media. The clinic's director, child psychiatrist Ryohei Niwa, explained that there are several warning signs, such as being unable to stop using the device even when one desires to or becoming irritable when usage is restricted. Over the past few years, the clinic has observed an increasing number of cases involving dependence on digital media.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
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