Hong Kong needs to tackle its screen addiction problem
A survey on smartphone use underlines the need to protect children from the harmful effects of too much time spent on electronic devices
The Look Up Hong Kong survey found that parents are struggling with smartphone addiction too: more than three-quarters of them said they could not live without their smartphone. According to a report in The Economist this month, many seniors are also picking up the habit, adding time on mobile devices to their traditional practice of being avid television viewers.
Just look around the next time you’re on the MTR. In the row of six seats opposite, the chances are that at least five will be occupied by people scanning their phones. 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 spring to their feet and rush out of the door at the last minute, having nearly missed their stop.
Alongside 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), with Twitter (now X) lurking in the background. For youngsters, it is Instagram and (overseas) TikTok as well as WhatsApp, plus YouTube. Some continue with Facebook but partly to monitor older family members.