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Letters | Would curbs on young Hongkongers’ screen time improve mental health?

  • Readers discuss whether Hong Kong should limit children’s screen time, one area where the city is leading the United States, and Donald Trump’s guilty verdict

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A student uses a mobile device at Kowloon Tong MTR station in 2020. Photo: Jonathan Wong
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Should Hong Kong consider limiting children’s screen time? The proliferation of electronic devices and the rise of addictive social media have prompted much soul-searching over the years about their impact on physical and mental health – especially among children.

Recently, The Economist analysed suicide data from 17 developed countries (including the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, South Korea and Australia) between 2003 and 2021, and found that the suicide rate among young women, especially girls aged 10-19, had risen sharply over the past decade. This coincides with the rise of social media. Is there a correlation between social media consumption and poorer mental health?

The jury is still out, but in light of the heightened concern over young people’s mental health, I believe we should pay more attention to the ill effects of too much screen time (“Rise in suicides among young Hongkongers sparks calls for more action”, June 12).

In Hong Kong, 86.7 per cent of children aged 10-14 own a mobile phone. According to a survey last year, primary school pupils here spend a daily average of four hours on digital devices on weekdays, and up to six hours during weekends and public holidays. These figures are comparable to those elsewhere. Both in the United States and Japan, separate polls last year found that teenagers spend on average nearly five hours a day online.

Some authorities are doing something about it. The US state of Florida passed a bill in March this year banning the use of social media by children under the age of 14. In mainland China, the authorities are planning to limit children’s smartphone use to no more than two hours a day. The UK government considered banning the sale of mobile phones to people under 16.
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