A Beijing resident uses a mobile phone on the subway, June 25, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

PEOPLE'S RELIANCE ON SMARTPHONES is increasing. Data from German company Statista show that Brazilians, for instance, who are the heaviest users, spend five hours on their smartphones every day on average. Chinese users come second, spending on average three hours a day on their phones. Southern Metropolis Daily comments:

People's reliance on smartphones is due to the convenience they offer users. In China, with a smartphone in hand, a user can unlock a shared bicycle by the roadside or pay the fare to use a bus, buy food in supermarkets, and send a photo or video greeting to a family member or friend, no matter how far away he or she is.

And with the development of journals, audio and video apps, we can now even turn our smartphones into electronic journals, TV sets, as well as radio receivers. Those wanting to play games can also do that on their smartphones.

Many people also use instant messaging tools such as WeChat to discuss and organize work tasks with their colleagues on their smartphones. So smartphones serve people in a comprehensive way.

Therefore, it is too early to worry about people spending too much time on smartphones. We are still doing what we did, only now we are doing it with our phones.

Some claim that smartphones prevent us from communicating with each other, but that claim is only part of the story. With smartphones, we can talk with anybody across tens of thousands of kilometers, and online family reunions become possible almost anywhere. That's especially important today with the fast pace of urbanization as so many family members are living apart from each other.

Of course, there are downsides to smartphones, such as people using them while driving, which poses a safety threat to other road users, but that's not the smartphone's fault. They are still a good addition to our lives. Their increasing use in all aspects of our lives is a sign of the digital developments that are rapidly transforming Chinese society and in which it is leading the way.