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Dangers of smartphone addiction

Source: Agencies | January 4, 2016, Monday | Online Edition

Program Code: 0909346160105001 | Source: CNTV

WITH the development of the Internet and related technology, we are all getting more and more reliant on our smartphones. Following this trend, a new word, "phubber", has also been coined, comflating the words "phone" and "snubber", which refers to people who often lower their heads, locked-in to their smart phones, oblivious to the world around them. However this "phubbing" isn't always a light matter -- in fact, it's often the instigator of dangerous accidents.

A surveillance video captured this tragic scene on Tuesday evening. Gazing with her head down and walking towards the edge of a river without knowing, 28-year-old Wang lost her life in a just few minutes after missing her step and falling.

"After repetitively checking the surveillance footage, We found that Ms. Wang was focusing on her cellphone. She was distracted and fell into the river afterwards," said Lin Yunxuan of Aojiang police station.

The obsession with cellphones has led to another emergency when a young man passed out on a bus in central China's Henan. He was sent to a local hospital, where doctors said his brain had received an inadequate supple of blooddue to staring into his phone for so long.

According to a recent survey -- led by Sohu.com -- about a third of Chinese people admit they are probably "phubbers"

However, we found much more than that number on city streets.

"It could be okay when I'm sure the traffic light turns green, but after all, this action is not right, there could be risks of accidents. There are a lot of times I am looking down at my phone when crossing streets," a citizen said.

"This could be so dangerous. When we come across such a situation, we drivers can only slow down to avoid them. What else can we do? Please don't play with your cellphone when crossing streets. It is irresponsible not only to oneself but also to other people," a taxi driver said.

Apart from this, experts say that smartphone addicts -- by avoiding normal social interaction -- could acquire psychological problems.

Even Chinese social media users are trying to alert the public to stop "phubbing" and start acting with more responsibility.

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