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Impact of the mobile phone on junior high-school students' friendships in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

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Kamibeppu K, Sugiura H. · 2005

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Even in 2005, half of Tokyo teens showed signs of mobile phone dependence, staying up late messaging and feeling unable to live without their devices.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Japanese researchers surveyed 578 eighth-grade students in Tokyo to understand how mobile phones affected their friendships and behavior. They found that students who owned phones (about half the group) sent more than 10 emails daily to classmates, stayed up late messaging, and reported feeling they couldn't live without their devices. While sociable students said phones helped their friendships, many also experienced anxiety and signs of addiction-like dependence.

Why This Matters

This 2005 study from Tokyo provides an early glimpse into behavioral changes that have now become global phenomena among young people. What makes this research particularly relevant today is how it documented the emergence of compulsive device use patterns when mobile phone ownership was still at 50 percent among teens. The findings of sleep disruption, anxiety, and psychological dependence on devices mirror what we now see amplified across all age groups with smartphones. The science demonstrates that these behavioral effects aren't just about 'screen time' but represent fundamental changes in how our brains respond to constant connectivity. What this means for you is recognizing that the psychological and social impacts of wireless devices were observable even in the early days of mobile technology, suggesting these effects may be inherent to the technology itself rather than simply a matter of learning better habits.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

The aim of this this is to investigate Impact of the mobile phone on junior high-school students' friendships in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

To research how junior high school students use their own keitai and to examine the impact of using ...

The response rates were 88.8% (n = 578) for participants. The proportion of having their own keitai ...

Our findings suggest that keitai having an e-mail function play a big part in the junior high-school students' daily life, and its impact on students' friendships, psychology, or health should be discussed among students to prevent keitai addiction.

Cite This Study
Kamibeppu K, Sugiura H. (2005). Impact of the mobile phone on junior high-school students' friendships in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Cyberpsychol Behav. 8(2):121-130, 2005.
Show BibTeX
@article{k_2005_impact_of_the_mobile_2259,
  author = {Kamibeppu K and Sugiura H.},
  title = {Impact of the mobile phone on junior high-school students' friendships in the Tokyo metropolitan area.},
  year = {2005},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15938651/},
}
PubMed: 15938651

Cited By (175 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

A 2005 Tokyo study of 578 eighth-graders found that students with mobile phones showed signs of addiction-like dependence, with many reporting they "could not live without" their devices and staying up late exchanging emails with classmates daily.
Research on Japanese middle school students revealed that phone owners frequently stayed up late at night engaged in email exchanges with friends. This late-night messaging behavior disrupted normal sleep schedules and contributed to device dependency among teenagers.
A study of Tokyo students found that while sociable teens felt phones helped friendships, many phone users also experienced insecurity and anxiety related to their devices. The research suggests phones create both social benefits and psychological stress in adolescents.
Japanese researchers found that students with phones sent over 10 emails daily to classmates, primarily communicating with schoolmates. Sociable students reported phones were useful for maintaining friendships, though the devices also created dependency and late-night communication habits.
A Tokyo study identified several concerning behaviors among phone-owning students: sending more than 10 daily emails, staying up late messaging, feeling unable to live without devices, and experiencing insecurity. Researchers recommended discussing addiction prevention with students.