Calls for greater push to wean young off social media
A think tank has urged authorities to step up efforts to address addictive social media use among children and adolescents. Ray Poon, research director of PoD Research Institute, said now might be a good time for Hong Kong to consider stronger regulation as more and more places worldwide are restricting or banning social media for children under 16. He said while a blanket ban for under-16s might…
A think tank in Hong Kong has called for enhanced measures to tackle the addictive nature of social media among young people. Ray Poon, research director of PoD Research Institute, suggested that the city could explore stricter regulations now that many countries are imposing similar restrictions on children under 16. While a universal ban for under-16s may not be feasible in Hong Kong, Poon proposed alternative legislative and regulatory steps.
These could include curbing the "infinite scroll" feature, which often leads to addiction, and limiting personalised advertisements and overnight notifications. Poon also emphasized the importance of involving other stakeholders, such as parents, schools, and teachers, who could benefit from updated guidelines from the government.
He pointed out that countries like Australia and the UK have attempted to restrict social media use for minors, but encountered challenges. In Australia, a complete ban exists, but some young people use VPNs or deceive their parents to bypass it. In the UK, a proposed age verification system for adult content faced privacy concerns and was later abandoned.
Written by urgent.news from RTHK English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
