Don’t leave parents to suffer the fallout of social media overuse

As the alarming impact on young people's physical and mental health becomes clear, the community must come together to tackle the problem

It is not unusual to see families go out for a meal together but each one is looking at their phone instead of talking to each other. While we enjoy staying connected with each other via social media, the whole community is suffering from its negative effects.

The heavy use of digital devices and social media platforms has led to alarming consequences for young people. In Hong Kong, the most recent Student Health Service annual health report highlights concerns that "excessive and inappropriate use of internet and electronic screen products can negatively affect many aspects of children's physical, psychosocial and mental health development".

Popular culture, from the recent Netflix drama Adolescence to the documentary The Social Dilemma , also underscores the dangers that our hyper-connected youth can face. It's clear from these examples, and from our daily experiences, that the negative effects of social media are real. Research shows that too much screen time can disrupt sleep, impair concentration and replace much-needed physical activity with sedentary scrolling.

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The psychological effects could be even more severe. Young people are regularly subjected to unrealistic portrayals of life online, harming their self-esteem. A survey by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention reveals that adolescents engaging in three or more hours of daily internet use in non-academic settings show markedly elevated levels of enduring anxiety and depression.

But what's to be done? Asking today's teenagers to unplug completely can feel like removing them from their primary social sphere. Such an abrupt change in their routine could lead to conflict between parent and child.

Without better education, regulation and community support, parents can find themselves stuck in an uphill struggle against a digital world designed to be addictive .

Technology companies employ highly specialised "attention engineers" whose job is to maximise user engagement. They capture young minds with auto-play videos, infinite scrolling feeds and perfectly timed notifications, each calculated to keep users online just a little longer. This manipulation is not accidental - it is central to their business model, generating profits from prolonged attention and harvested user data.

When questioned, these companies might highlight their corporate social responsibility programmes, featuring screen-time trackers or gentle reminders to take breaks . But these modest efforts barely scratch the surface of the real issues. True responsibility involves much more: redesigning platforms to protect young users, actively investing in reducing harm and not placing all the responsibility on families to manage the fallout.

Companies must genuinely prioritise social good over their profit margins. It simply is not enough to donate a fraction of the earnings generated by practices they know can cause harm to users.

There is an increasing global recognition of the need for stronger measures. In Australia, recent legislation banned children under 16 from social media. Mainland China limits children under 18 to one hour of gaming on selected days. Others propose treating excessive social media usage akin to tobacco, alcohol or sugary drinks, applying a "sin tax" or levy on tech companies to fund mental health initiatives, public education and other supportive community programmes.

Finding a balance is vital. An approach that is too heavy-handed, like outright bans, could push teenagers to unregulated platforms, which could be more dangerous. Severe taxation could appear draconian and undermine public support. Thoughtful, balanced self-regulation could be a path forward if companies can be persuaded to implement meaningful changes voluntarily, reducing the need for direct government intervention.

If social media companies' platforms cause mental health issues , they should pay for damages. Making them pay could internalise these costs, leading companies to consider the full impact of their actions and pursue better practices to avoid being sued for failing to meet their duty of care.

New regulations could be needed to explicitly require compensation for damages. Those companies profiting most from capturing young people's attention should shoulder the cost of addressing the resulting societal harms.

Ultimately, we must recognise the broader social and economic forces that are weighing on young people. The academic pressures they feel remain intense, the pathways to secure employment and home ownership seem increasingly difficult and community ties continue to weaken. In such an environment, digital spaces offer an attractive escape, providing teenagers with affirmation and belonging.

Addressing this therefore requires holistically addressing youth well-being. This is not merely a parental or governmental issue. It is a collective challenge for our society. Tech companies must innovate responsibly, governments must set and enforce sensible boundaries, and as a society we must all support efforts to guide our youth safely through an increasingly digital world.

We failed in our duty of care when smartphones and social media first emerged. We must not fail our children again. Ensuring the health and happiness of the next generation requires courageous, collective action.