Those considered at risk of addiction experience withdrawal symptoms physically and mentally during their everyday life and often feel anxiety if separated from their smartphones.

By age, the portion of addiction-prone smartphone users between 19 and 29 came to 18.2 percent, with such respondents in their 30s, 40s, and 50s coming to 4.8 percent, 1.5 percent, and 0.8 percent, respectively.

Women had more problems dealing with smartphone dependency with 6.6 percent having an addiction, compared to 3.3 percent of the male population, the poll showed.

To tackle the issue of smartphone addiction, the government has been making various efforts such as providing education programs at schools and issuing counseling guidelines for high-risk students. (Yonhap)