Chinese society’s obsession with smartphones and other kinds of modern technology has caused rift in relationships.
"Marriage and Family," a monthly magazine associated with the All-China Women's Federation, recently conducted a survey on the effects of modern technology on family relationships. The verdict: Society's obsession with smartphones and other kinds of modern technology leads to distant relationships with family.
Released on April 29, Wednesday, the survey also revealed that 70 percent of more than 500 million Chinese smartphone users leave their gadgets switched on 24/7.
Instead of communicating with family members face to face, more and more individuals spend an alarming amount of time using mobile applications and electronic devices.
Time spent on fiddling with mobile electronic devices pose serious risk to China's overall family happiness index, warns Zhen Yan, a director of the China Marriage and Family Study Society.
Couples who spend more time glued to their smartphones are also affected. About 60 percent of survey respondents who are married complained that electronic devices have disrupted their romantic relationships. Some people have likened it to having an "electronic rival."
"It is a mistake if people think being in the same room (playing with their separate devices) is the same as being together," said Wang Jun of Beijing Weiqing Marriage Consultant company.
"A lack of the more important face-to-face communication will inevitably ruin the whole relationship," Li Ying, who teaches at China Women's University and specializes in women's rights, added.
An individual's personal health also suffers from constant use of modern technology. According to the survey, 62 percent of respondents have admitted to taking their devices to bed. It does not get better once the lights are off: 50.3 percent still use their devices after the lights go out.
According to recent record, there are more than 700 million active smartphone users in China.