"Verbal and Physical Abuse of Family Over SNS": 6% of Japanese Teens and 20-Somethings Show Suspected Pathological Use

A survey has found that around 6% of Japanese people in their teens and twenties are suspected of “pathological use” of social networking services (SNS), showing a high level of addiction.

On the 16th, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported the results of a postal questionnaire survey conducted by Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center, a national medical institution in Japan, as part of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s addiction countermeasure project. The survey was carried out in January and February last year on 9,000 people, of whom 4,650 responded. According to the results, 7.1% of male teenagers and 7.5% of female teenagers were suspected of pathological SNS use. Among people in their twenties, 4.8% of men and 5.0% of women fell into this category, while the figure for those in their thirties and older remained at the 0-1% level.

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To identify SNS addiction, Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center presented nine questionnaire items, such as “Do you feel bad when you cannot use SNS?” and “Have you used SNS to escape from unpleasant emotions?” Among the respondents suspected of pathological use in this survey, 27% answered that they had “verbally abused or used violence against family members” over the use of SNS and similar services. In addition, 6% said they had “been absent from school for 30 days or more,” and 5% responded that they had “shut themselves in at home for six months or longer.”

The Yomiuri Shimbun described this survey as “Japan’s first public survey on the actual state of SNS addiction” and stressed that “there is a need to strengthen measures targeting young people.”

Meanwhile, in December last year, Australia effectively became the first country in the world to ban SNS use by minors under the age of 16, and similar moves are emerging in Europe. Recently in France, a bill banning SNS use by minors passed the lower house. Immediately after the bill passed, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, “The emotions of our children and teenagers are not something that can be sold, neither to American platforms nor to Chinese networks.”

In addition, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, and Denmark have also announced that they will introduce measures to keep teenagers away from platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and X. In the United Kingdom, initial discussions have already taken place in Parliament, and the government has begun consultations with stakeholders.

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