What drives us to check smartphones in spare moments?
These days, not only students but people of all ages spend their brief spare moments staring at their small smartphone screens. It clearly reflects addictive behavior, which has grown into a social problem that can no longer be ignored.
I have, in fact, never owned a mobile phone or smartphone. In contemporary society, such individuals are increasingly rare. Yet, I have never experienced real inconvenience; rather I believe I gain more by living without such devices.
While my research centers on journalism, I have, for several years, led classroom discussions with students on how to deal with smartphones. After reading relevant literature, they reflect on how their everyday smartphone use affects them.
Many reports have indicated that prolonged smartphone use is associated with a range of negative effects, such as reduced physical activity, obesity, loss of concentration, deteriorating eyesight, neck and shoulder problems, esotropia, and potential impediments to brain development. In addition, the gratification of receiving “likes” on social media has been reported to reinforce addictive behavior. When asked about this, students are aware of these negative impacts. Yet they still find themselves unable to put their phones down. After all, the key issue is that they cannot stop, even while fully aware of their overuse.
For instance, the following was found in literature about Instagram, a social network for sharing photos and videos. In response to the question, “What does Instagram mean to you?” an American high school student answered, “It’s like a high school cafeteria.”
Cafeterias are an essential part of American school life, where both pleasant and unpleasant experiences can occur. While some students enjoy chatting with many friends, others eat alone, observing them from the corner of their eye and feeling uncomfortable. Still, if students do not go to the cafeteria, they feel as if they do not even exist. Even when they find the place uncomfortable or unappealing, they cannot help but go.
This example offers insight into the pressures Japanese high school students face. Japanese students often feel that if they do not check their friends’ posts and upload their own on social media, they are not really part of high school life. While smartphone use should be a matter of personal choice, peer pressure and friendship dynamics make them feel they have no choice at all. Consequently, it is reasonable to assume that some students experience a sense of constraint or discomfort.
Given this situation, smartphone addiction should be addressed as a social issue, not merely dismissed as an individual problem. The matter is closely tied to the role of media and the nature of the information environment, particularly from a journalistic standpoint.
Smartphone use among teens: 3.2 hours on weekdays, 4.3 hours on weekends
Objective data highlight the tendency toward smartphone addiction among young people. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ FY2024 Survey Report on Usage Time of Information and Communications Media and Information Behavior found that teenagers spent an average of 198.2 minutes on weekdays and 258.7 minutes on weekends using the internet on mobile devices (smartphones and mobile phones). For those in their twenties, the figures were 194.7 minutes on weekdays and 234.4 minutes on weekends. This indicates that young people typically spend three to four hours or more online on their phones each day.
The Internet, especially social media, is overflowing with information. Information gushes in, as though water were being poured nonstop into an open mouth. My concern is that if we fail to realize that we are constantly exposed to information beyond our physiological limits, we may reach a point of no return.
While we cannot turn back to a time when newspapers and television were the primary sources of news, we can still manage the volume of information we consume. The world contains far more information than anyone could possibly absorb, even if they spent all 24 hours of the day trying. That is why learning to filter and prioritize information wisely is essential.
To this day, I have neither a smartphone nor even a TV. Instead, I devote an hour or so every morning to reading the newspaper, which gives me sufficient information. I may check the weather or traffic on my computer, but I never touch social media. I would like to emphasize that I have not experienced any inconvenience in obtaining everyday information, and the newspaper alone can provide extremely rich, in-depth information. Of course, this is simply my own life style, and I would not recommend it to everyone. Still, I hope it may serve as an example of a conscious approach to choosing one’s own information environment.
At the same time, it is true that the Internet is becoming an increasingly important source of information for people. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ survey mentioned earlier, people in all age groups from their teens through their 50s use the Internet most often “to quickly catch up on world events and trends.” In addition, people in their 20s and 30s also rely on it most for “obtaining reliable information about world events and trends.”
In this environment, journalism is experiencing major changes. Newspapers, magazines and other media are shifting their focus from print to online platforms. Clearly, the spread of smartphones is a key factor behind this trend. For example, more than 70% of the Asahi Shimbun’s digital readers are reported to use mobile devices such as smartphones to access the content.
It is also widely recognized that print newspaper subscriptions have been declining year after year. Newspaper publishers have moved from free online distribution to paid subscriptions, while promoting their content by releasing free articles on social media. The question is whether this approach can secure a stable revenue base. Since digital revenues depend largely on subscriptions and advertising, there is serious doubt as to whether this model can truly offset the losses from declining print sales.
Newspapers and TV news as “information nutritionists”
If financial struggles led newspaper publishers to bankruptcy, what would happen? Some may think it would not be a problem, because they could turn to the Internet. In truth, traditional media such as newspapers and television remain the main providers of firsthand reporting on political and social issues. Many online outlets mainly verify or reframe this information, although some engage in their own investigative reporting.
Furthermore, newspaper reporters are professionals trained in a system known as organization journalism. While it has faced some criticisms, we cannot ignore the fact that this system remains highly effective. For example, in the event of a major disaster, newspaper and TV companies allocate resources and staff to the scene, even if it does not directly generate profits, because they serve as public-interest media contributing to society.
With bureaus nationwide, these traditional media outlets are able to track public trends during national elections. They also continue to play a vital role in reporting on wars and conflicts. At the time, reporting in newspaper and TV may be intended for the next day’s news, but they ultimately become historical records. Such material represents valuable assets because it helps us reflect on the noble as well as the misguided things we have done.
Of course, this does not negate the significance of freelance work. Yet, for this very reason, I believe society needs reporting that guarantees a certain standard of quality, provided by reporters trained in organizations.
On the other hand, traditional media such as newspapers are slowly losing credibility. To be honest, I have yet to find an immediate solution for newspapers to win back readers.
In recent years, established media have often failed to fully capture the buzz on the Internet about politics and entertainment. Consequently, people who rely on social media for information may feel that traditional media’s reporting is inadequate. On the flip side, newspapers and television draw criticism precisely because they remain influential. If people are completely indifferent, they would not bother to criticize at all. Put differently, criticism and distrust imply that a certain degree of trust and expectation still persists.
As an example of how to utilize traditional media, I suggest you switch off your phone for half an hour and spend time with a print newspaper or NHK news. Some might think, “I can get the news on my phone. Why bother with newspapers or TV?” Yet, the advantage of these media is that they introduce you to information that you would not otherwise look for.
While algorithms on social media customize content to individual preferences, newspapers introduce readers to topics outside their interests. Likewise, television news shows you information you never clicked on. Such accidental encounters broaden our horizons.
Accordingly, established mass media act like information nutritionists, presenting information in a balanced form after curating from an overwhelming volume of sources. Consuming only your preferred information on social media is like always eating from a buffet―it limits your perspective just as an unbalanced diet can harm your health. Accordingly, I recommend making a habit of reading newspapers and watching television news, regarding them as balanced plates of information.
* The information contained herein is current as of September 2025.
* The contents of articles on Meiji.net are based on the personal ideas and opinions of the author and do not indicate the official opinion of Meiji University.
* I work to achieve SDGs related to the educational and research themes that I am currently engaged in.
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