Wired S. Korea to stem digital addiction from age 3
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In this Friday, Nov 9, 2012 photo, smartphones collected from students are placed in a plastic basket during a class at Chilbo elementary school in Suwon, South Korea. The National Information Society Agency, or NIA, estimates 160,000 South Korean children between age 5 and 9 are addicted to the Internet either through smartphones, tablet computers or personal computers. -- PHOTO: AP
SEOUL (AP) - Park Jung In, an 11-year-old South Korean, sleeps with her Android smartphone instead of a teddy bear.
When the screen beams with a morning alarm, she wakes up, picks up her glasses and scrolls through tens of unread messages from friends, shaking off drowsiness.
Throughout the day, the gadget is in her hands whether she is in school, in the restroom or in the street as she constantly types messages to her friends.
Every hour or so, she taps open an application in her phone to feed her digital hamster.