Tech companies spend billions on making apps and devices intentionally addictive because ‘maximizing engagement’ is the fundamental objective of their business model.

They exploit the fact that younger users are particularly sensitive to reinforcement by social reward/likes and have minimal ability to self-regulate effectively to habituate them quickly to apps and devices.

Rates of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, self-harm and even suicide among teens have all dramatically spiked globally since 2010 – when children started getting smartphones.

A 2023 global study of 27,969 young adults from Sapiens Labs showed that the younger they got their first smartphone, the worse their mental health today.

Smartphones are experience blockers, distracting children from engaging in the real world activities and connections that are crucial to healthy childhood development.

"Even harmless content isn’t harmless. Time spent on a device is time not spent with other children; playing, exploring, interacting and developing vital social skills."

Hong Kong children’s overuse of smartphones and digital devices means they spend less time on physical exercises and outdoor activities, which negatively affects their physical development, physical health and psychosocial wellbeing. Physical issues include increased risk of obesity, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck conditions (“text neck”), poor posture, and shortsightedness.

In fact, Hong Kong has the highest prevalence of childhood myopia in the world, with more than 40% of schoolchildren having myopia by 8 years. The HK Children Eye Study found that the annual incidence of myopia during the pandemic increase by almost 250% and that kids’ lifestyles (including less time outdoors, more near-work time, and more screen time) have still not return to pre–pandemic levels

The impact of smartphone and social media use has seen a troubling increase in hostile relations and conflicts between family members in Hong Kong. The mental health of both parents and children is negatively impacted with half of those surveyed presenting unsatisfactory mental health scores.

Recent research also indicates that the rise in smartphone and social media usage has significantly contributed to the increase in cyberbullying incidents. The anonymity provided by these platforms facilitates aggressive behaviors that might not occur in face-to-face interactions.