Chinese warned to beware of mobile phone obsession

BEIJING - An article in People's Daily said if someone in a relationship spends so much time on their mobile phone and becomes estranged from and causes mental harm to their significant other, that can now be classified as a form of domestic violence.

Many Chinese people are "enthralled by" smartphones, not because of a lack of self-control, but because much of their work is done on phones, said the newspaper.

Nevertheless, mobile phones have deeply penetrated people's lives, the newspaper said, noting that people clutch at their phones almost whenever they are awake, even when they are with someone else.

"Social media, taking pictures, payment, navigation... The continuous flow of information is like bait being spread around a fish that makes the fish too busy to focus on one thing," the newspaper read.

The newspaper cited an All-China Women's Federation report that 43 percent of the respondents said they use smartphones or tablet computers at family gatherings. The more frequently they use mobile devices before going to bed, the lower their satisfaction rate of marriage.

"Some people said the more they use mobile phones, the lonelier they felt," said the newspaper. "It is up to all of us whether we alienate our friends and family members or transfer our passion from phones to the people around us."