[Kim Tae Hyun's Teen Education] The Birth of the "Smombie" in the Age of ...

[Korea Lecturer News | Columnist Kim Tae Hyun] The issue of smartphones has long been a hot topic in education. Even in the past, students’ smartphone use was constantly debated, and I still remember discussing it as a school debate topic myself. Some viewed smartphones as obstacles to learning, while others saw restrictions on them as oppressive measures that infringed on autonomy and freedom of expression.

At that time, however, it remained only an academic debate.

Now, it has become reality.

According to the Ministry of Education, on August 27, the National Assembly passed an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The revised law is scheduled to take effect on March 1, 2026.

Its core principle is simple:

The use of smartphones and smart devices during class will, in principle, be prohibited.

There are only two exceptions:

When students with disabilities or special educational needs use them as assistive devices

When they are used explicitly for educational purposes

Aside from these cases, the use of smart devices in schools will be broadly restricted.

Stanford University School of Medicine psychiatrist Anna Lembke praised the legislation as “a decision ahead of its time.” She explained that limiting smartphone use for adolescents—whose brains are still developing—functions as a kind of safety measure, and emphasized that restrictions should extend beyond classes to break times and overall school life.

Many U.S. states have introduced similar measures, but no nationwide response has been consistently implemented. Regarding Korea’s decision, she reportedly added:

“Bravo!”

1. The Smartphone Problem Has Become Reality

The word smombie is a combination of smartphone and zombie.

First coined in Germany in 2015, it refers to people so absorbed in their smartphone screens that they walk without awareness of their surroundings.

Today, it is an all-too-familiar sight in Korea:

On the subway during rush hour

At crosswalks

Even while walking down stairs

Eyes fixed on screens.

The problem is not simply that it looks unpleasant.

According to transportation safety research, when people use smartphones while walking:

Sense of distance decreases by 40%

Field of vision narrows by 56%

Accident risk rises by 70% compared with normal pedestrians

After smartphones became widespread, traffic accidents related to distracted walking increased 2.5 times between 2009 and 2014.

Smartphones had evolved from conveniences into public safety risks.

This is not only Korea’s problem.

Other countries have introduced countermeasures:

Stockholm installed warning signs against smartphone use while walking

Xi'an created smartphone-only pedestrian lanes

Honolulu imposed fines for using smartphones while crossing streets

Korea has also responded with:

LED floor traffic lights

Safety bumps before crosswalks

Yellow footprint guides

Audio crossing signals

Child-focused traffic safety materials

The rise of the smombie clearly shows one thing:

We have entered the age of smartphone overdependence.

2. Smartphone Addiction Is a Whole-Society Problem

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT’s survey on smartphone overdependence:

42.6% of teenagers are in the risk group for smartphone overdependence.

This is the highest rate of any age group.

By age:

Middle school students: 41.7%

High school students: 41.4%

Elementary school students: 37.3%

That means four out of ten young people are already dependent enough for daily life to be affected.

For comparison:

People in their 20s: 34%

30s: 25.1%

40s: 18.7%

Children and adolescents face dramatically higher risk than adults.

Even more alarming, young children are not exempt.

Many children aged 3 to 9 are already classified in risk groups for overdependence.

At an age when many have not fully learned reading or writing, smartphones have already become essential daily tools.

This is no longer a generational issue.

It is a structural issue involving home education and the broader social environment.

Older Adults Are Becoming a New Risk Group

Smartphone addiction is not limited to the young.

Older adults adapting rapidly to digital life are emerging as a new vulnerable group.

According to a 2024 survey by the National Information Society Agency:

The high-risk overdependence rate among people in their 60s reached 3.7%

At first glance, that may seem low.

But while the overall high-risk rate remained relatively stable over the last three years, rates among those in their 60s have steadily increased.

People in their 60s and 70s have also become heavy users of short-form video platforms such as TikTok Lite.

Because users can earn points redeemable for cash by watching videos, many retirees with more free time perceive it as a form of digital side income—making the platform even more addictive.

Internet usage among those aged 70+ rose sharply:

68% in 2020

83.1% in 2024

Average weekly internet use also increased significantly.

Even while younger generations’ usage time declined, older adults’ usage continued rising.

This suggests not just improved digital skills, but the spread of addictive usage patterns.

Experts also note deeper social reasons:

Loneliness

Isolation

Need for connection

Desire for purpose and self-efficacy

For some older adults, digital devices have become both companion and escape.

The growing interest in AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT among seniors can be understood in this same context.

3. What Is School, Really?

Debate over smartphone bans remains intense.

One side says:

“Smartphones disrupt learning, so banning them is obvious.”

The other says:

“It violates students’ autonomy.”

Both arguments contain truth.

But both also share the same outdated assumption:

They still view school through an old framework.

In the past, school was nearly the only gateway to learning.

Today, a student with one smartphone can access global knowledge instantly.

A student who uses AI can achieve learning efficiency unimaginable in previous generations.

For many children, the smartphone has already become another form of school.

That means today’s real issue is not phones versus no phones.

It is the collision between the old model of school and the new one.

My Definition of School: A Comprehensive Gym

I define school as a comprehensive gym.

At a gym, we train physical muscles.

Likewise, school should develop three kinds of muscles:

Brain muscles

Body muscles

Heart muscles

Imagine a personal trainer guiding a workout while the member keeps staring at their phone.

The result?

Wasted time

Wasted money

Lost progress

The same applies to class.

School is not merely a place for information delivery. It is a place for training growth.

If students recognized school not as a boring classroom but as a training ground where they strengthen themselves, they would naturally understand why smartphones are unnecessary during focused instruction.

The purpose of education is growth.

4. The Roles of Teachers, Students, and Parents

Teachers: Professional Coaches

Teachers must think deeply about how to give each student the right kind of stimulus.

Like a trainer designing personalized sessions, they should create individualized learning experiences that strengthen students’ minds, bodies, and hearts.

Students: The Ones Who Train

Muscles grow only through consistent exercise.

Likewise, students grow when they repeatedly apply and practice what they learn.

Parents: Supporters

Parents should support the process.

Yet in reality, parents can sometimes become the biggest obstacle.

A child may return home after experiencing immersion and growth at school, only to hear:

“My way is right.”

That is like offering fried chicken to someone who just finished a serious workout.

Parents must recognize they are not the professional coach.

Their role is to encourage consistency and support the training process.

5. The Tasks Ahead

The smartphone ban is not the finish line.

It is the starting point.

Three major tasks remain.

First: Digital Literacy and AI Literacy

Students must learn how to:

Find information

Evaluate information

Use digital tools responsibly

Collaborate with AI wisely

Yet banning the easiest-to-use device while emphasizing digital literacy creates contradiction.

Governments and schools must build clear curricula that reduce digital gaps and develop healthy digital competence.

Second: Innovation in Teaching Methods

If a smartphone is taken away, will a student automatically focus?

No.

Boredom does not disappear just because distraction is removed.

Students may simply find new ways to disengage.

The real challenge is not controlling behavior.

It is creating immersion.

Teachers must design lessons where students genuinely feel:

“I am growing.”

Third: Dedicated AI Education

AI is already embedded in daily life.

Soon students may use AI naturally inside messaging apps, for teamwork, presentations, and reports.

As more advanced AI systems emerge, students must understand:

The possibilities of AI

The limits of AI

Ethics of AI

Human identity in a technological age

AI should not be treated merely as a convenience tool.

It must become part of education itself.

Closing Thoughts

Smartphone overdependence is no longer only a youth issue.

It affects:

Children

Teenagers

Young adults

Middle-aged adults

Seniors

British University of Oxford selected “Brain Rot” as its 2024 Word of the Year—a term describing mental decline caused by excessive online content consumption.

That reflects the world we now live in.

Yet the essence of school does not change.

School remains the place where we train the muscles of the brain, body, and heart.

Teachers are coaches.

Parents are supporters.

Students are the owners of their growth.

The smartphone ban is not the end.

It is the beginning.

The future of education must protect timeless values while embracing new technologies such as AI—so that every student can grow at their own pace and lead their own life.

Columnist Profile

Kim Tae Hyun is a youth education expert and curriculum designer specializing in career development, self-directed learning, and leadership education. Known widely as Girin Teacher, he inspires students through warm communication, relatable teaching, and future-focused educational vision.

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