Indonesia Ranks First in World's Worst Mobile Phone and Gaming Addiction, Latest Evidence Confirms

Jakarta — Excessive gaming has been found to be widespread among school-age children. The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) has recorded gaming addiction among high school students at over 30 per cent.

“Research shows that high school students in Indonesia, in certain samples, account for approximately 33 to 39 per cent in the category of moderate to severe addiction. So moderate to severe alone is more than 30 per cent, or precisely 33 per cent,” said Digital Communication Minister Meutya Hafid.

She also highlighted that gaming addiction globally affects 1.96 to 3 per cent of the world’s population. The highest risk is among adolescent males and young adults.

Meutya acknowledged that gaming helps people become creative and pledged continued support for the industry. However, there are significant negative impacts, including addiction.

At this occasion, Komdigi launched a multiplatform service called DARA to address gaming addiction issues.

According to Meutya, DARA emerged from public concern, particularly from parents struggling to manage changes in their children’s behaviour due to excessive online gaming.

DARA has been designed as a platform for private conversation and consultation. Indonesian children can seek help for gaming addiction directly through this platform.

“We hope that through this service, children can come forward of their own accord to seek help or assistance with their gaming addiction. Again, we do not want to shut down games, as many are creative outlets, but we want to help those exposed to negative aspects, and the state must be present there,” she said.

The DARA service can be accessed through several channels, including the website https://adiksi.igrs.id/ or via WhatsApp through the Indonesian Game Rating System (IGRS) at 0811806860.

Mobile Phone Addiction

Compared to other Southeast Asian countries, Indonesia has a distinctive position regarding mobile phone screen addiction, dominating the region and surpassing neighbours such as Malaysia and Singapore.

On a global scale, Indonesia ranks second. Indonesia is only behind India, which leads according to research firm Sensor Tower’s report.

The report revealed that Indonesians spent 414 billion hours using mobile applications throughout 2025. The population predominantly accessed social media, with TikTok being the most accessed application.

Indonesians also frequently accessed short drama applications, such as Melolo, which saw download growth increase by 329 per cent last year. Additionally, utility applications, multimedia, banking and digital wallets, online lending, streaming applications, OTT services, messaging, telecommunications, and e-commerce became some of the most visited applications by the population.

India, however, spent significantly more time, approximately three times Indonesia’s figure, reaching 1.2 trillion hours on devices. The United States ranked third with 385 billion hours on mobile phones.

For Southeast Asia, the Philippines ranked eighth. Vietnam was at eleventh position and Thailand at fifteenth.

Notably, Malaysia, Myanmar, Brunei and Laos did not feature in the top 20 list, indicating that residents of these countries are not excessively addicted to mobile phones.

China, known as a hub for many mobile application producers, showed that its population is not particularly addicted to mobile phone usage. The country ranked ninth globally with 148 billion hours.

Tips for Overcoming Mobile Phone Addiction

The following measures can be taken to address mobile phone addiction:

• Avoid using gadgets whilst walking or driving, as this activity can endanger yourself and others. If you must use it, it is better to pause from walking or driving to check your phone.

• Set and limit gadget usage time. Determine the maximum time for using your mobile phone.

• Note that if your work requires prolonged gadget use, it is advisable to find other activities that do not involve mobile phones after finishing work.

• Do not use gadgets whilst with other people. Engage in direct communication when meeting others to focus on conversation.

• Beyond limiting time, establish gadget-free areas. You should do this with commitment, even if it is a self-imposed rule.

• Engage in healthier activities as a substitute for gadget use. Start with exercise or reading books. Also avoid using gadgets before bedtime.