KYCC Clinical Services Counselor Rumee Chung spoke to LA18 on excessive smartphone usage and its effect on communication in relationships. KYCC recognized an increase in familial problems related to a lack of communication due to smartphone devices.

Students use smartphones around 10 hours per day, even when there is nothing to talk about. Adults also check their smartphones frequently to respond to social networking apps.

“It seems that people tend to depend on smartphones rather than having a real conversation,” Chung says. “It brings problems such as isolation, loneliness, comparisons to others’ lives online, and self-esteem issues.”

Korean American Family Service Center (KFAM) scored many Korean families with a smartphone problem at Level 3 (on a scale of 0-5).

KYCC Clinical Services provides free counseling services in English, Korean and Spanish. Please call KYCC at (213) 365-7400 to speak with an Intake Counselor if someone in your family is experiencing smartphone issues.