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Kristen Cheung

Hong Kong should follow international peers in legislating to bar children under 16 from social media to combat cyberbullying and addiction, education experts and lawmakers have said, while stressing the need for broad social consensus.
At a panel discussion on Saturday to examine proposals to restrict social media access for under-16s, educators and lawmakers argued that legislation was needed to signal the government’s stance and drive efforts to prevent the next generation from being harmed by such platforms.
Lilian Chan Lui Ling-yee, honorary president of the Yan Oi Association of Principals and a seasoned educator, said social media addiction was the biggest problem facing education and that legislation was required to protect children.
“Some say that whether we ban it or not, children will still face the same environment, but I do not agree. If we do not legislate, the future of our next generation will be lost,” Chan, who has served as principal at different schools, said.
“Social media addiction is irreversible – you lose your judgment, like losing a compass at sea. Legislation will raise public awareness about protecting children from harmful content on social media, such as pornography and cyberbullying.”
Policy group New Youth Forum interviewed 686 randomly selected residents aged 18 or above between May 22 and June 5 in a survey. It found 61.8 per cent of respondents backed legislation restricting under-16s from social media, with support rising to 76.3 per cent among parents.

But the poll also revealed a sharp generational divide: 51.7 per cent of 18- to 29-year-olds opposed the move, while older age groups were far more supportive.
Forum convenor Cliff Tang Wing-chun said enacting such a law would be a lengthy process requiring greater engagement with young people and more education for parents and children on social media use to foster broader social discussion.
Lawmaker Duncan Chiu said Hong Kong’s commitment to information freedom made it difficult to follow mainland China’s model of erecting firewalls and establishing a central online supervision body, but policymakers and the education sector could help identify implementation areas and loopholes at the execution level.
“In some European countries phones are banned on campuses and access to social media is restricted, so I think execution would be most likely to start with schools first, and then we will see how to push that back to the home,” he said.
“We should be aware that children are now smart enough to find ways to evade supervision – even now internet cafes are becoming more popular as a way to evade parent and school control.”
Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, of the University of Hong Kong’s department of social work and social administration, said challenges in implementing any ban included age verification, finding alternatives to social media, and holding platforms responsible for addictive algorithms and unhealthy content.
“We now see from Australia’s experience that youngsters might evade age checks by using AI-generated faces. Real-name registration could be a way to improve verification,” he said.
“We also need to think about what can replace teenagers’ attachment to social media, such as more real-life family activities and offline support. Otherwise, youngsters might resort to the dark web.”
He added that legislation could pressure platforms to make content safer and algorithms less addictive.
France has enforced a nationwide mobile phone ban for students up to middle school since 2018, with many schools requiring devices to be kept in pouches or lockers during the day. Authorities are extending the prohibition to senior secondary schools from the 2026-27 academic year.
In Britain, a statutory ban on smartphones in state-funded schools across England took effect on June 29, requiring pupils to switch off or store their devices throughout the school day.
Former prime minister Keir Starmer also unveiled plans in June to bar all children under 16 from social media, adopting the same model as Australia, which in December 2025 became the first country in the world to impose such age restrictions.


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Hong Kong

Education

Educators, lawmakers say legislation is needed to signal government stance and protect next generation from being harmed by such platforms


Educators, lawmakers say legislation is needed to signal government stance and protect next generation from being harmed by such platforms.


‘Addiction is irreversible’: Hong Kong urged to ban under-16s from social media

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Educators, lawmakers say legislation is needed to signal government stance and protect next generation from being harmed by such platforms

Educators, lawmakers say legislation is needed to signal government stance and protect next generation from being harmed by such platforms