3 out of 10 Korean high school students who carry mobile phones are reported to be addicted to mobile phones. They feel anxious without their cell phones. According to the result of survey carried by the Hospital of Seoul National University, 21% of 270 high school students carrying cell phones responded that they feel anxious when their handsets are not in their hands and 8% of them said that they feel very frustrated without mobile phones. 10% of the respondents said that they have ever felt pain in the shoulder or wrist when they send SMS or play games on their phones.

The pain they feel when they send SMS is a kind of syndrome that the repetitive work to press small keyboards of cell phones causes poor blood circulation and pain in the shoulder. 31% of the surveyed said that they send more than 30 text messages a day. The hospital warned that excessive use of mobile phones, like Internet addiction, can cause depression, anxiousness and sleep disorder.

Source: Telecoms Korea