{
  "id": 427960,
  "title": "Beyond screen time, examine social media activities for more targeted intervention: Experts",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/beyond-screen-time-examine-social-media-activities-for-more-targeted",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-10T02:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times",
    "slug": "straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/tech/beyond-screen-time-examine-social-media-activities-for-more-targeted-intervention-experts"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Singapore health experts are urging a deeper look at social media habits beyond simply tracking screen time. According to the Ministry of Health's panel examining the impact of social media on young people's mental wellbeing, obsessively checking for likes, withdrawing from face-to-face friendships, and allowing the platform to interfere with daily life are concerning signs that require targeted intervention. This intervention can include counselling, teaching coping mechanisms, and disabling potentially harmful features on the platforms themselves. Experts distinguish between \"excessive\" use—defined as more than three hours a day—and \"problematic\" use, which disrupts other aspects of a young person's life. While spending hours chatting with friends online may not be worrisome if their virtual interactions translate to real-life friendships and they maintain a balanced lifestyle, compulsively checking social metrics and feeling bad about one's image can indicate deeper emotional distress. The report recommends stricter regulations on features like infinite scroll, auto-play, and algorithmically-curated feeds that can trap users in a cycle of compulsive engagement, displacing healthy activities like exercise and in-person socialization. The panel also stresses the importance of a whole-of-society approach, urging parents, schools, and communities to work together in providing clear guidance for navigating the online world.",
  "summary": "Parents and schools are also urged to help youth reflect on their social media use, said experts.",
  "key_points": [
    "Experts urge deeper analysis of social media habits beyond screen time.",
    "Compulsive checking for likes and withdrawal from face-to-face friendships are concerning.",
    "Recommends counselling, coping mechanisms, and disabling harmful features."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Shifting focus from mere screen time to specific social media activities allows for more targeted interventions that address problematic usage and promote healthier online behaviours among young people.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}