Government data has shown that one in four South Koreans are overly dependent on their smartphones. 

According to data from the Ministry of Science and ICT released by People Power Party lawmaker Park Sung-joong on Wednesday, 23-point-three percent of South Koreans fell into the high risk group for smartphone addiction last year.  

The figure marks a marked rise of three-point-three percentage points from a year earlier, indicating the increase is possibly linked to reduced outdoor activities amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

The comparable figure for 2018 was 19-point-one percent and 20 percent in 2019. 

In particular, the comparable figure for children under ten years old soared from 17-point-nine percent in 2016 to 27-point-three percent in 2020, jumping nearly ten percentage points over a period of just four years.