Study Buddy (Explorer): How smartphone addiction hurts Hong Kong families

[2] The centre polled 712 parents of children aged six to 18 between September and December 2023, with 28.5 per cent saying they had overreacted to their children’s use of electronic devices with verbal insults, physical threats or unreasonable punishment.

[3] Meanwhile, a survey of 1,000 Hong Kong residents by language learning app Preply found that 63.4 per cent were addicted to their smartphones, with 36.5 per cent admitting to using them in the toilet. It also found that younger people more likely to use their devices in bed.

[4] The Preply survey also found 35.8 per cent of respondents had experienced anxiety about their phone battery running low, 28.7 per cent had rushed home to use their phone, and 20 per cent had missed public transport stops because they were distracted by their phone.

[5] Hong Kong-based psychologist Quratulain Zaidi says, there is an urgent need for people to manage and reduce their smartphone usage. To help diagnose phone addiction, she looks out for certain symptoms. These include a recurring inability to resist the impulse to use your smartphone; anxiety or irritability after a period without using your smartphone; using a smartphone for longer than intended; unsuccessful attempts to quit or reduce your smartphone use, and; spending excessive time using a smartphone despite physical or mental problems resulting from it. She also has some tips to help break the smartphone habit.

[6] Limit the amount of time you spend on the phone
Put it away for periods of time, such as at mealtimes. Limit your time on social media and do not look at your phone for the first 30 minutes when you wake up or before you go to bed. And go to the toilet without it – if there is an emergency, people will call.

[7] Find alternatives to fill in the time when you put the phone away
Engage in activities such as reading, cooking, walking or swimming. Make plans to meet friends face to face rather than talking to them online or scrolling social media for hours.

[8] Don’t multitask
Take a walk without listening to a podcast and look around you – be more in the moment. Research shows that our brains are not biologically made to multitask; it takes two minutes and 45 seconds for our brain to shift attention from one task to another. When you multitask you are not doing anything to your full potential.

[9] Turn off notifications
You do not have to be available at a moment’s notice to respond to the overwhelming information overload that you have created around you. In August 2024 in Australia, a new law came into effect giving employees the right to ignore emails and phone calls from employers outside work hours, unless doing so is deemed unreasonable.

Source: South China Morning Post, September 25

1. What was the main discovery of the survey mentioned in paragraph 1?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. According to paragraph 2, roughly what percentage of parents said they were too harsh when their children used electronics too much?
A. 10 per cent
B. 20 per cent
C. 30 per cent
D. 40 per cent

3. Decide whether the following statements based on paragraphs 3 and 4 are True, False or the Information is Not Given. Fill in ONE circle only for each statement. (4 marks)
(i) None of the respondents felt anxious when their phone battery was low.
(ii) People between the ages of 30 and 40 were the least likely to use their smartphone in the toilet.
(iii) Over half of the people who responded to the survey admitted to smartphone addiction.
(iv) Some people lost their jobs because they were caught using their smartphone at work.

4. Find a word in paragraph 4 that describes someone unable to pay attention because they are doing something else.
___________________________________________________

5. Paragraph 5 describes … smartphone addiction.
A. symptoms of
B. how to handle
C. various reasons behind
D. mental health issues related to

6. According to paragraph 6, you should avoid using your phone …
A. for the first half an hour after you wake up.
B. while eating.
C. before going to bed.
D. all of the above

7. What does Zaidi recommend doing instead of talking to friends online according to paragraph 7?
___________________________________________________

8. Based on paragraph 8, what can’t our brains do?
___________________________________________________

9. According to the new law mentioned in paragraph 9, employees in Australia …
A. must respond to emails and phone calls from employers at all times.
B. can ignore emails and phone calls from employers after work.
C. can choose to turn off their phones during work hours.
D. must respond to emails and phone calls from employers within 24 hours.

1. Hong Kong parents are struggling to control their children’s use of gadgets, resulting in hostile relationships.
2. C
3. (i) F; (ii) NG; (iii) T; (iv) NG
4. distracted
5. A
6. D
7. meet them face to face
8. multitask
9. B