Most middle school cellphone users rarely used their phone to talk, the survey found. Saito, of Kawamura Gakuen Women's University near Tokyo, said children seemed to want the security of communicating with someone, without the bother of dealing with a real person.
"Communication ability is bound to decline as cellphones and other devices are now getting between people," he said.
Tomomi, 18, who would not give her full name, said: "I send some 20 e-mails a day. There are people I don't talk with - even if I see them at school, I just exchange mail with them. I guess we're connected only by a machine."
Saito's survey found that students can also use their cellphones as an emotional crutch, and the more problems they have at home, the more dependent they seem to become on their phones.
More than 60 percent of students who said they do not enjoy being with their families send 20 or more e-mails a day, compared with 35 percent of those happy with their families.
And even if cellphones can bring solace, it can come at a terrible cost.
Kanae Yokoyama, 36, is facing trial for allegedly beating and spraining the neck of her 15-year-old daughter after catching her secretly using her cellphone in November.
The girl had been prohibited from using her phone as the bill had hit about US$1,060 in October, mostly wracked up by downloading music and playing games, according to local police.
They said the mother had a history of abusing her daughter.
"Considering she was often absent from school, the mobile phone may have been her sole 'friend' to spend her days with," a police official said.
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