60% of families in Japan use smartphones during family time

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60% of families in Japan use smartphones during family time

I screen, you screen: The number of families who are focused on their screens instead of each other is on the rise in Japan. | GETTY IMAGES

Jul 30, 2018

Sample newspaper article

日本の親子らの約6割が、家族と一緒にいてもそれぞれが自分の携帯電話やスマートフォンを操作しており、米国、中国、韓国と比べて最も高い割合だったことが7月25日、国立青少年教育振興機構などが4カ国の小中学生に実施した調査で分かった。子どもが話そうとしても、親が「時間がない」などと言う割合も日本が最も高かった。

調査は昨年9～11月に実施。4カ国の小5～中2の男女計約1万人が回答。「家族が一緒にいてもそれぞれが自分の携帯やスマホを操作している」との設問に、「よくある」「たまにある」と答えた小学生の割合は、日本が最も高く57.5％、次いで韓国の51.5％だった。 (KYODO)

Words and phrases

日本 (にほん) Japan

親子 (おやこ) parent and child

約 (やく) around

6割 (ろくわり) 60 percent

家族 (かぞく) family

一緒 (いっしょ) together

自分 (じぶん) self

携帯電話 (けいたいでんわ) cellphone

スマートフォン smartphone

操作する (そうさする) to operate

米国 (べいこく) The United States of America

中国 (ちゅうごく) China

韓国 (かんこく) South Korea

比べる (くらべる) to compare

最も (もっとも) the most

高い (たかい) high

割合 (わりあい) percentage

国立青少年教育振興機構 (こくりつせいしょうねんきょういくしんこうきこう) National Institution for Youth Education

4カ国 (よんかこく) four countries

小中学生 (しょうちゅうがくせい) elementary and middle school students

実施する (じっしする) to put into practice

調査 (ちょうさ) survey

分かる (わかる) to understand

子ども (こども) child

話す (はなす) to speak

親 (おや) parent

時間 (じかん) time

言う (いう) to say

昨年 (さくねん) last year

小5 (しょう[がく]ご[ねんせい]) elementary school fifth grade students

中2 (ちゅう[がく]に[ねんせい]) junior high school second grade students

男女 (だんじょ) men and women

計 (けい) total

約 (やく) approximately

1万人 (いちまんにん) 10 thousand people

回答 (かいとう) answer

携帯 (けいたい [でんわ]) cellphone [abbreviation]

スマホ smartphone [abbreviation]

設問 (せつもん) question

答える (こたえる) to answer

小学生 (しょうがくせい) elementary school student

次いで (ついで) following

Quick questions

1) この調査はどこの国で実施されましたか。

2) 調査はいつ実施されましたか。

3) 子ども約何人がこの調査に回答しましたか。

Translation

Sixty percent of parents and children in Japan use their smartphones or cellphones when they are together for family time, the highest percentage in a comparison with the U.S., South Korea and China. This finding was among results revealed July 25 of a survey conducted by groups such as the National Institution for Youth Education in which elementary and junior high school students from the four countries were interviewed. Japan also had the highest percentage of parents who said “I don’t have time” when their children try to talk to them.

The survey was carried out from September to November of last year. Approximately 10,000 children from the fifth grade of elementary school to the second grade of junior high from all four countries answered the survey. The highest percentage of kids who answered “most of the time” and “sometimes” to the statement “Even when the whole family is together, everyone is using their own cell or smartphone” came from Japan at 57.7 percent, with South Korea following at 51.5 percent.