Smartphone addiction seen in beds, washrooms

The average worker spends 5.2 hours a day using a smartphone, a survey by a leading job portal showed on Monday.

Peak times for smartphone use was during commutes (45.7 percent), before going to sleep (26.3 percent) and during work breaks (17.6 percent), according to a survey by JobKorea of 749 workers.

Nearly 4 percent of the people surveyed said they used their smartphones “as often as I can.”

The most frequently used functions were mobile messengers like KakaoTalk and Line (72.2 percent), online news (46.3 percent) and social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram (36.4 percent). Multiple answers were allowed in this section.

Nearly 36 percent said they used the smartphones to make calls and text message, while 25.5 percent said they used them to play mobile games and read cartoons.

Sixty-two percent of respondents said they have used lifestyle apps including those for cabs, delivery services and health checkups.

Food delivery service apps like Yogiyo topped the list as the most useful apps, with 54.1 percent of respondents who use lifestyle apps choosing it, followed by apps for cabs such as KakaoTaxi (31.5 percent) and health care apps like S Health (13.1 percent).

Sixty-five percent of respondents also said they have used travel apps. While close to 62 percent responded they have used apps for tour and hotel guides, 50.4 percent said they have used apps for making reservations for flights and hotels. Multiple answers were allowed in this section.

More than 51 percent of respondents said they felt addicted to their phones.

Asked when they felt they had developed an addiction to smartphones, more than 62 percent said when they kept looking at their phones even when they were trying to go to bed.

More than 28 percent said they felt anxious when they did not have smartphones in their hands. Multiple answers were allowed in this section.

About 27 percent said they grabbed their smartphones when they were rushing to the bathroom. Another 27 percent said they felt the urge to look at their smartphones when alerts sounded - even when they were extremely busy.

Nearly 14 percent admitted to checking smartphones even when they were seeing friends whom they have not met for a long time. Close to 13 percent said they feel they hear alert sounds even when there were none.

BY PARK JUNG-YOUN [park.jungyoun@joongang.co.kr]