Hong Kong youth addicted to internet need to be understood instead of judged, experts say
- Children who spend too much time online may not all be addicts, but need help navigating digital world
- As parents and children clash, experts call for more cross-discipline research to work out solutions
Hongkonger June* was just eight years old when she was sent for counselling because she was skipping school and spending her days and nights glued to her computer.
When she went back to school, she found it traumatic facing teachers and classmates again. It drove her back to her virtual world.
In her online game and fanfiction communities, she made friends, shared her digital artworks and felt more understood, though she often lost track of time and stayed up all night.
“On the internet, I could choose what to do, who to talk to and what to talk about,” recalled June, now 14. “No one could force me to do anything.”
Last month, the children and youth-focused NGO Hong Kong Playground Association (HKPA) interviewed more than 4,000 Hongkongers under the age of 18 and found 13.7 per cent with a high tendency towards online addiction. Among secondary school students, more than 15 per cent were found to be at high risk.
Frontline youth workers and scholars have called for a better understanding of online addiction, and for a more empathetic look at the psychological needs of children and teenagers displaying addictive online behaviour.