Screen Addiction
Anyone who believes Hong Kong does not have a serious screen addiction problem just isn’t paying attention. According to research by a local NGO Look Up Hong Kong (LUHK), more than half of our children aged 6 – 10 years already own a smart phone, and the figure rises to 87 per cent for those aged 10 to 14, and a staggering 99 plus per cent for those aged 15 to 24. LUHK quotes a YWCA survey that reports Hong Kong primary school students spend an average of 32 hours per week on mobile devices for leisure.
The phenomenon is not restricted to the young. According to an article in last week’s Economist magazine, many seniors are also picking up the habit, adding time on devices to their traditional practice of being avid television viewers.
But do some research of your own: just look around next time you are travelling on the MTR. In the row of six seats opposite, chances are at least five will be occupied by people scanning their mobile phones. And many standing passengers will also be holding on for balance with one hand while clutching their phone with the other. We must all have seen engrossed passengers suddenly spring to their feet and rush out the door at the last minute having nearly missed their stop.
Side by side with the spread of mobile devices has been the extraordinary growth of social media. For my generation it is LinkedIn for professional profile, Facebook for social ties and WhatsApp for easy communication (WeChat on the mainland). Twitter (now X) lurking in the background. I understand for the youngsters it is Instagram and (overseas) TikTok as well as WhatsApp, plus YouTube. Some continue with Facebook but partly to monitor older family members.
LUHK reports that 93 per cent of secondary school students here (aged 12 – 18) have their own profile on social media or a gaming platform. Our strict lockdown policies during Covid undoubtedly gave a big push to wider social media access and greater device use.
The consequences of this combination of ubiquitous device ownership and popular social media have been well documented, particularly among the young. Health issues are a major area of concern. Sleep deprivation is thought to be common, some 50 per cent are reported to suffer from eyestrain, and a full 40 per cent have myopia by the age of eight. Fewer than 10 per cent of young people are engaging in the recommended daily hour of physical exercise.
Chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu recognised in his policy address that social media has profound impacts on the mental health of children and adolescents. This reportedly manifests itself in greater depression (52 per cent of secondary students showed symptoms last year) and thoughts of suicide (the rate among youngsters 10 – 19 doubled between 2014 and 2017).
Widespread use of the internet also creates a vulnerability to bad actors. Strangers can approach youngsters and by the use of such techniques as “catfishing” lure them into sexual exploitation. In a column in this newspaper in December last year I reported on the very sad case of a young girl coaxed into unwise behaviour who committed suicide rather than subject her younger sister to the same experience. To compound the tragedy her own father committed suicide 18 months later.
Against this backdrop there is naturally increasing concern among parents, NGOs and governments about what can be done to protect the public, in particular young people. Some parents have taken it on themselves to try to delay smartphone ownership and use by their own children until the age of 14. This is commendable but can put a strain on family relationships when youngsters see widespread possession and use by classmates.
LUHK was formed recently precisely to encourage parents to stand together to try to turn back the tide. It encourages interested parties to sign up for a pact, an agreed approach to the issue, which would help parents explain restrictions to their children. Other NGOs such as the YWCA monitor the situation and undertake useful surveys to surface relevant information.
The Central People’s Government maintains a robust control system in the mainland. Social media companies must have a “minor mode” for persons under 18, and there are daily screen time limits for different age groups. There is a nighttime curfew from 10 pm to 6 am, content filters, and an ability for parents to customise settings. The Australian government has been consulting on a requirement to exclude all users under the age of 16. It is understood the new regime will come into effect next month.
For me this whole discussion has been a staggering example of how technology has progressed during my lifetime. I grew up in the 1950s and 60s in a UK household without a telephone which was quite common in those days. There was only one house in the street which had a phone and anyone with a requirement to make a call (very rare) would ask to use it and pay cash to the resident to cover the cost. We did not feel deprived as no one we knew had a telephone either. Here in Hong Kong, as recently as 1977 when my eldest son was born, I had to make an appointment with Cable and Wireless to make a call to the UK to inform family. It wasn’t cheap.
Now with a small device in my pocket I can make calls to children and grandchildren in Los Angeles, London, Bangkok and Beijing, and see the people I am talking to, all entirely free of charge. So technology has certainly brought considerable benefits for the individual. But it has also brought challenges, which need to be addressed.