This blog post examines why smartphone and gaming addiction have emerged as serious problems in modern society and explores methods for overcoming them.

Introduction

Until recently, news reports frequently highlighted the seriousness of computer addiction and gaming addiction. This phenomenon, particularly among adolescents and children, caused significant concern among parents and educators. The severity of addiction issues is immense because they don’t simply end with reduced academic achievement; they can also negatively impact physical and mental health. Recently, smartphone addiction has emerged as a new social problem. While smartphones have become essential items in modern society, this has led to an increasing risk of dependency and addiction. In other words, ‘addiction’ is gaining attention in modern society and is recognized as a significant risk factor.
While smartphones are inherently convenient tools, this convenience can easily foster excessive dependence. This is because they allow information searches anytime, anywhere; facilitate easy communication with friends and family through social networking services (SNS); and readily provide various games and entertainment. For these reasons, many people become engrossed in their smartphones, frequently leading to addictive behavior. In this context, it is necessary to delve deeper into the phenomenon of ‘addiction’ and examine why this issue has become more prominent recently.

Main Discussion

Addiction, or ‘addiction’, is used in a similar sense to dependency or excessive immersion, meaning a type of habitual addiction. Generally, addiction refers to the phenomenon of developing a strong psychological and physical dependence on a certain substance or behavior. Once addicted, individuals develop a persistent craving for the substance or behavior. Failure to control this craving can lead to severe mental and physical problems. Addiction manifests not only as substance dependence but also as behavioral addiction, exemplified by internet addiction, gaming addiction, and smartphone addiction.
Historically, addiction likely began when humans first encountered substances like narcotics. Records indicate that narcotic substances were used in religious ceremonies or for therapeutic purposes as early as 10,000 years ago. Seeds of cannabis (marijuana) have also been found in Neanderthal burial sites. Opium was cultivated since ancient times and used in Egypt as a painkiller or medicinal agent. These narcotic substances were used for a long time without a proper understanding of their harmful effects, and many people became dependent on them, particularly due to their addictive nature. As time passed and the harmfulness of these substances became clear, efforts to control addictive substances began, giving rise to the concept of ‘drugs’.
However, with the advent of modern society, new addiction problems began to emerge. The development of computers and the internet led to the rapid growth of the gaming industry, and soon after, the smartphone was invented and rapidly spread worldwide. Consequently, while addiction was primarily a problem of substance dependence in the past, new forms of addiction have emerged today, such as internet addiction, gaming addiction, and smartphone addiction. Smartphones, in particular, have become an inseparable part of daily life due to their extremely high accessibility to information. Many people find it difficult to spend even a single day without their smartphone, dedicating increasingly more time to it.
This situation raises a question: While substances like drugs or alcohol are inherently addictive, do things like games, the internet, or smartphones inherently possess addictive properties? In reality, many people play games or use the internet but naturally stop after a certain time and return to their daily lives. So why do some people become addicted to them?
The reason is closely tied to structural issues in modern society, differing from the inherent addictiveness of substances. As modern interpersonal relationships shrink and become fragmented, many people feel loneliness or isolation. To alleviate these emotions, they become engrossed in games, the internet, or smartphones. For instance, with smartphone addiction, one can easily pass time playing games or using social media alone, without needing to communicate with others. This tendency is particularly pronounced among adolescents. When parents are both working or family communication is limited, children naturally become more dependent on smartphones.
An interesting experiment related to this is the ‘Rat Park Experiment’ conducted by Bruce Alexander, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Alexander compared isolated rats with rats that lived together and formed social bonds. Isolated rats showed a significantly higher frequency of drinking morphine-diluted solutions, whereas rats with social interaction did not. Furthermore, even rats addicted to drugs while isolated showed a marked decrease in drug consumption when placed in the social environment of the ‘Rat Park’. This clearly demonstrates that the severance of relationships significantly impacts addiction.
The problem in modern society is that human relationships are increasingly shrinking due to individualism and competitive social structures. People often struggle to find diverse ways to relieve stress and anxiety in daily life, leading them to rely on easily accessible games or smartphones. While some interact with others in virtual worlds through gaming, this is distinctly different from real-world human relationships. Those trapped in addiction tend to immerse themselves alone in the internet, games, or smartphones, seeking escape from reality rather than forming interpersonal bonds.

Conclusion

So, what should we do to solve the addiction problem? The most important thing is to restore human relationships and revitalize communication and interaction between people. This should provide opportunities for people to escape isolation and live healthier lives. On an individual level, people should spend time with others and seek out activities they can do together; communication between parents and children is also essential. Furthermore, various policy efforts are needed at the societal level to address the addiction problem.
Schools should strengthen lifestyle education to prevent students from becoming overly absorbed in the internet or games, and provide parents with appropriate guidance on child education. Additionally, the government needs to raise public awareness about the dangers of addiction through prevention campaigns and encourage healthy leisure activities. The issue of addiction transcends individual problems; it is a critical matter that must be addressed at the societal and national levels. If we all join forces to tackle addiction, we can build a healthier and happier society.