OITA -- About half of high school students in west Japan's Oita Prefecture said in a recent survey they believe they are "addicted to the internet" amid concerns over the time youth are spending online.

The findings were revealed in the prefectural government's annual "survey on youth internet usage." This fiscal year's survey targeted approximately 1,500 students in second and fifth grades of elementary school, the second year of junior school and first year of high school, receiving responses from 1,384 participants.

Some 94.4% of all respondents said they use the internet in their personal lives. Limited to high school students, this answer was given by 100% of respondents. The most commonly used device for internet access was smartphones. Popular activities included watching videos at 84.5%, using social media at 67.7% and playing online games at 65.5%.

Also of note was the rising time spent online on weekdays among junior high and high school students, with 60.4% of middle school students (up from 58.7% the previous year) and 61.2% of high school students (up from 56.5%) reporting "two hours or more" of screentime. Additionally, 32.7% of junior high students and 51.2% of high school students felt they were addicted to the internet.

Junior high and high school students were also asked about lifestyle changes due to internet use. They mentioned some positive aspects such as, "I have started looking up things I don't know myself" at 58.9% and "I have made more friends" at 44.4%. At the same time, a notable number of students also cited negative impacts, including "lack of sleep" (24.3%) and "decline in grades" (15.1%).

The prefectural government's lifestyle and environment planning division noted that 62.3% of middle and high school students highlighted the importance of "discussing with parents" when asked what was necessary for safe internet use. An official emphasized, "It's important to create opportunities for families to discuss internet use rules."

(Japanese original by Yongho Lee, Oita Bureau)