スマホ依存

• Reading: スマホいぞん
• Romaji: sumaho izon
• Kanji breakdown: スマホ (smartphone) + 依 (rely on) + 存 (exist) → smartphone dependence
• Pronunciation: /su.ma.ho.i.zoŋ/

Meaning

Smartphone addiction — the state of being overly dependent on or unable to put down one's smartphone.

Combining スマホ (smartphone, short for スマートフォン) with 依存 (dependence/addiction), this term describes the increasingly recognised phenomenon of excessive smartphone use. It can be used seriously when discussing digital health, or casually and self-deprecatingly when admitting one's own habits. The term frequently appears in media discussions about screen time, especially regarding young people.

Examples

1. 寝る前にスマホ見るのやめられないのはスマホ依存だよね。 Not being able to stop looking at your phone before bed is definitely smartphone addiction.
2. スマホ依存がやばくて、一日のスクリーンタイム10時間超えてた。 My phone addiction is out of control — my screen time was over 10 hours a day.
3. 彼女にスマホ依存すぎって怒られた。 My girlfriend got mad at me for being too addicted to my phone.

Usage Guide

Context: daily conversation, media, self-reflection

Tone: concerned, self-aware

Do Say

• 自分スマホ依存だわ、トイレにも持っていく。 (I'm totally phone-addicted — I even take it to the toilet.)
• スマホ依存やめたくてスクリーンタイム制限かけた。 (I set a screen time limit to curb my phone addiction.)

Don't Say

• 初対面の人に「スマホ依存でしょ？」は失礼になる (Telling someone you just met 'you're addicted to your phone' is rude)

Common Mistakes

• Using 依存 with the wrong pronunciation — it is いぞん (izon), sometimes also read as いそん (ison)

Origin & History

Compound of スマホ (smartphone, abbreviated from スマートフォン) + 依存 (dependence). Became widely discussed from the mid-2010s as smartphone usage surged and media began covering digital addiction as a social issue.

Cultural Context

Era: Mid-2010s, when smartphones became universal

Generation: All ages (especially discussed for teens)

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. A frequent topic in media, education, and family conversations.