What Percent of Students Uses Smartphones?

Technology is usually not a problem for young people. But as technology becomes more pervasive, it also becomes more disruptive. Many people report that simply having a smartphone near them can be a distraction, not to mention a constant stream of notifications that can easily occur. For students, this can seriously interfere with learning.

In a Japanese survey from 2013, over 90% of high students regularly uses online messaging, spending almost an hour and a half per day messaging friends, with almost a quarter messaging while studying.

Since learning can depend on one’s ability to go into concentration, these students who are constantly being interrupted could seriously be endangering their learning. In fact, students from Gunma Prefecture score higher on average on smartphone and game player use than students of other prefectures, and they score lower on most academic tests as well.

Parents should work with their children to develop acceptable rules and limits in order to ensure their children’s future success.


Source: 40% of high schoolers use smartphones while studying | The Japan Times.

Image: Intel Free Press