ID :
206959
Wed, 09/14/2011 - 06:14
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/206959
The shortlink copeid
Nearly 5 pct of minors at risk of Internet addiction: study
SEOUL (Yonhap) - Nearly five percent of South Korean children and teenagers are at risk of becoming addicted to the Internet, a study showed Wednesday, prompting calls for stronger countermeasures in this densely wired nation.
More than 110,000 out of a sample of 2.28 million students in grades 3, 4, 7 and 10, or 4.85 percent, were found to spend excessive amounts of time on the Internet, according to the education ministry's study submitted to Rep. Park Young-ah of the ruling Grand National Party.
The study comes as South Korea has been battling Internet addiction among teenagers after a series of deaths was blamed on excessive gaming. In April, the National Assembly passed a bill banning minors under the age of 16 from using online games after midnight.
The study classified students spending two to three hours on the Internet per day into the category of users requiring caution, while those spending three or more hours online each day were put under the "risky" group.
By grade, 10th graders showed the highest level of excessive Internet usage with 5.45 percent, followed by seventh graders (4.89 percent) and elementary school children (4.49 percent).
"(We need) to provide teenagers with active treatment and education against Internet addiction," Park said.
South Korea is one of the world's most densely wired countries, ranking first for wireless Internet penetration among member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
More than 110,000 out of a sample of 2.28 million students in grades 3, 4, 7 and 10, or 4.85 percent, were found to spend excessive amounts of time on the Internet, according to the education ministry's study submitted to Rep. Park Young-ah of the ruling Grand National Party.
The study comes as South Korea has been battling Internet addiction among teenagers after a series of deaths was blamed on excessive gaming. In April, the National Assembly passed a bill banning minors under the age of 16 from using online games after midnight.
The study classified students spending two to three hours on the Internet per day into the category of users requiring caution, while those spending three or more hours online each day were put under the "risky" group.
By grade, 10th graders showed the highest level of excessive Internet usage with 5.45 percent, followed by seventh graders (4.89 percent) and elementary school children (4.49 percent).
"(We need) to provide teenagers with active treatment and education against Internet addiction," Park said.
South Korea is one of the world's most densely wired countries, ranking first for wireless Internet penetration among member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
