More teenagers in S’pore are getting into digital devices, latest Singapore news

Children and teenagers can’t take their eyes off their gadgets and smartphone screens, which exacerbates addiction and exacerbates behavioral problems.

Counselors and social workers in Singapore say more young people are facing various forms of digital addiction, from excessive use of social media and the Internet to countless hours spent on games and pornography.

They told The Straits Times that devices are here to stay and the battle with technology for children’s attention will almost inevitably increase.

Touch Community Services, which runs a counseling intervention program for young people struggling with excessive use of digital devices, saw an estimated 111 such cases in 2022, a 58 percent increase from 70 in 2019.

We Care Community Services, an addiction treatment center, said there has been a 20 percent increase in referrals for gaming addiction since the pandemic compared to pre-Covid-19 years, such as 2019.

Over the past three years, there have been more inquiries and calls from schools and parents about digital addiction issues.

Many inquiries come from parents seeking guidance and advice on how to deal with children who are showing signs of excessive attachment to their devices, said We Care clinical director Tham Yuen Khan.

Ms Andrea Chan, deputy director of Touch Mental Wellness, said the agency had seen cases of youth skipping school because of their gaming habits, threatening suicide when their parents turned off home Wi-Fi, or running away from home when their parents stopped. them from games.

Cases appeared when parents noticed a deterioration in their children’s grades, a decrease in family activity or time spent with friends, she added.

Dr Melvin Zhang, a consultant at the National Addiction Service (Nams) at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), said digital addiction issues, including gaming addiction and excessive use of digital devices, were becoming more prevalent, especially among children.

As technology becomes more integrated into everyday life, he says, there is growing concern about the potential impact on mental health and well-being.

Nams typically addresses individuals aged 13 and over with issues related to digital device use or addiction. Because its data classifies internet addiction as a broader spectrum of behavioral addictions, the IMH does not have figures for the number of digital addiction cases it sees each year.

Almost half of Singapore’s 15- to 21-year-olds have “problematic smartphone use”, according to an IMH study published in August.

This was determined in terms of dependence on the devices, time spent on them, and problems caused, such as whether users felt nervous without their devices and experienced physical discomfort, such as pain in the wrists or back of the neck, due to prolonged use of smartphones.

The study found that affected people were at least three times more likely than non-smartphone users to experience symptoms of moderate to severe depression, anxiety and insomnia.

In another IMH study published in September, more than one in four young people reported using social media excessively – more than three hours a day.

Around one in five young people have experienced cyberbullying through mean, aggressive or rude messages online. Those who had experienced such bullying were about twice as likely to have severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress.

One girl, who spoke to ST on condition of anonymity, said she had depressed thoughts after spending too much time on social media and receiving hateful messages online.

For seven hours a day, the 17-year-old was tied to apps like Instagram and X, formerly Twitter. She joined online communities centered around her favorite K-pop idols and connected with others who shared her interests.

“I was talking to people on X almost every waking hour. The fans in the community are international, so there was always someone active and active on the site when I was on the app,” said the polytechnic student.

But one day, she started receiving hostile messages after criticizing the actions of an idol singer who was in the spotlight due to allegations of sexual harassment. The allegations were not confirmed and many fans rushed to his defense.

“Suddenly my DMs (direct messages) were full of people cursing me and sending me pictures that I posted online, calling me every derogatory word I could think of,” she said. “After a while, it started getting into my head to get these images every day. I felt my appearance and began to check whether what they were saying was true.’

She sought help from a private counselor when her self-deprecating thoughts began to affect her desire to leave the house, and is now in therapy. Now she spends less time on the Internet.

What can parents do?

Touch Wellness Group chief transformation officer and group leader Madam Anita Low-Lim said the agency had noticed more children getting digital devices at a younger age.

“Some parents give their children mobile devices so that it is convenient to communicate with them. While these devices open children up to the online world, they also expose them to potential online risks,” she said.

To address this issue, Touch launched the First Device Campaign in March to encourage parents to intentionally start discussions about screen time, online safety and emotional self-regulation before behavioral problems arise. So far, the agency has reached more than 3,000 families.

“Most parents only start to worry about their children’s screen time when problems start to creep in. We believe that parents should place just as much importance on preparing their child for their first device as preparing them for the first day of school.” said Madam Low-Lim.

The campaign’s resources, which include an animated series and a guidebook, were distributed at My First School preschools to reach more parents of young children. The partnership aims to reach over 10,000 families over the next two years.

We Care’s Ms Tam said there was no reliable way to determine the best age to give a child a mobile phone.

“It would be more helpful to make that decision based on your assessment of your child’s developmental readiness, not just based on age,” she said. This may involve looking for attributes such as a child’s ability to understand and recognize healthy and unhealthy boundaries, and the ability to communicate in an age-appropriate manner.

“Parents can and should take an active role in managing and modeling healthy device use for their children,” she added.

This includes banning the use of phones during family outings or meals, putting away devices while talking or creating phone-free zones at home, she said.