One out of three South Korean students is too dependent on their smartphone, is at risk of addiction and is having trouble in school, a government poll showed Sunday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's survey of 2,510 people aged between 9 and 17, 34 percent spent too much time on their smartphones and had problems controlling their use of the devices. 



Among them, 5.8 percent relied seriously on their smartphone, had problems with their families and suffered from health issues, the survey said.

Boys aged 12-17 and those from lower-income families were more prone to smartphone addiction, it added. (Yonhap)