34% of kindergarten pupils spend at least an hour a day on social media, study shows

A new survey reveals that one in three kindergarten pupils in Hong Kong spends over an hour per day on social media, with nearly 85% of parent-child disagreements stemming from excessive screen time. The Hong Kong Institute of Family Education conducted the research, which showed that recreational screen time increases with age, reaching 66.6% among high school students. The recommended limit is no more than one hour daily for children aged two to five.

Tik Chi-yuen, the institute's chief executive, stated that most kindergarten pupils' screen use involves watching videos and communicating with family members through parents' accounts. He considered the trend "not that worrying" due to the rarity of the "digital dummy" phenomenon, which refers to the use of smartphones and electronic devices to keep young children quiet.

More than 80% of the surveyed parents reported conflicts with their children over social media use, with 85.5% of these disputes driven by excessive usage. Researchers found that parent-child conflicts rose from 48.5% to 56.7% as students progressed to junior secondary school, driven by academic pressure and the need for stress relief through social media.

Parents are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for guidance on raising children, with 61.2% of parents seeking AI advice, particularly for activity planning and homework help.