Indonesia Ranks First in Southeast Asia, Among the Worst Globally
Compared to other countries in Southeast Asia, Indonesia has a leading position in a particular area. Namely, in terms of mobile phone addiction, the country is the leader in the region and surpasses its neighbours such as Malaysia and Singapore.
In fact, on a global scale, Indonesia is in second place. Indonesia is only surpassed by India, which leads the list in a report by the research firm Sensor Tower.
The report reveals that Indonesian people spent 414 billion hours using applications on their mobile phones throughout 2025. The majority of users access social media, with TikTok being the most popular platform.
Indonesian people also frequently access short-form drama applications, such as Melolo, which saw a 329% increase in downloads last year. In addition, utility, multimedia, banking and digital wallet, online loan, streaming, OTT, messaging, telecommunications and e-commerce applications are among the most visited by users.
While India has a higher usage rate, about 3 times more than Indonesia, reaching 1.2 trillion hours in front of the screen. The United States is in third place with 385 hours in front of the phone.
For Southeast Asia, the Philippines is in 8th place. Meanwhile, Vietnam is in 11th position and Thailand is in 15th.
Even the names Malaysia, Myanmar, Brunei Darussalam and Laos are not in the top 20. This means that the population of these countries is not too addicted to mobile phones.
China, which is known as the home of many mobile application manufacturers, has a population that is not too addicted to using mobile phones. The country is ranked 9th globally and its usage time is 148 billion.
Tips for Overcoming Mobile Phone Addiction
Here are some things that can be done to overcome mobile phone addiction, quoted from the Alodokter page:
Avoid using gadgets while walking or driving. Because these activities can endanger yourself and others. If you have to use it, it is best to stop for a moment from walking or driving to open your phone.
Arrange and limit the time of gadget use. Determine the maximum time to use your phone.
As a note, if work requires using gadgets for a long time, it is best to look for other activities that do not use mobile phones after finishing work.
Do not use gadgets when you are with other people. Communicate directly when meeting with other people to focus on chatting.
In addition to limiting time, determine a gadget-free area. You must do it with commitment even though it is a rule that you make yourself.
Do healthier activities as a substitute for using gadgets. Starting from exercising or reading books. Also, avoid playing with gadgets when you are about to sleep.