Japanese university tells students: 'Give up smartphones or quit'

The head of a Japanese university has told his students to either get rid of their "poisonous" smartphones or leave Shinshu University.

In an address to 2,000 new students entering the university this month, Dr Kiyohito Yamasawa said they need to "Read books, talk with friends and make it a habit to think by yourself".

Although Dr Yamasawa did not issue an outright ban on students using mobile devices, he suggested that they should "quit using smartphones or quit Shinshu University" on the grounds that the devices are "nothing more than poison to intelligence, personality and creativity".

Dr Yamasawa's outburst has triggered renewed debate in educational circles in Japan, which has in the past considered introducing internet "fasting" camps to help wean children off the online world.

 An estimated 518,000 Japanese between the ages of 12 and 18 are believed to be addicted to the internet, according to the ministry of education. Full story...

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