LCQ11: Impact of social media on children and adolescents
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Question:
It has been reported that the Australian Government implemented new legislation last year prohibiting the use of social media by children and adolescents under the age of 16, and non-compliant enterprises would face substantial fines; meanwhile, a number of European countries and some regions in Asia have also enacted legislation or tightened relevant restrictions one after another. Regarding the impact of social media on children and adolescents, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has plans to commission experts, scholars or higher education institutions to conduct scientific, in-depth research tailored for Hong Kong's unique social environment, so as to assess the specific impact of social media on the emotional health, personality development and academic performance of local children and adolescents; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that, and whether consideration will be given to establishing dedicated funding to support such academic research;
(2) as there are views that the Education Bureau's current recommendations on students' use of mobile phones and electronic screen products primarily focus on managing the usage time in schools, whether the Bureau has assessed the effectiveness of the current recommendations in addressing the use of electronic screen products by students outside schools and in mitigating the negative impact of social media content on students; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) whether consideration will be given to implementing Collaborative Research and Development (Seed) Projects or pilot schemes in some schools to adopt non-legislative approaches (such as promoting a digital health charter and strengthening home-school collaboration) on a pilot basis for managing the use of social media among students, so as to assess the practical effectiveness of such approaches in mitigating the negative impact of social media on students and provide empirical data for future policy formulation; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4) given that it is difficult for schools to manage the use of social media by students after school, whether the authorities will study launching more specific guidelines for parents, with the introduction of a mechanism requiring parental consent for registration of social media accounts; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government attaches great importance to the physical and mental health of children and adolescents, and provides comprehensive health promotion and medical services by deploying substantial resources in education, public health and medical systems.
In consultation with the Education Bureau (EDB) and the Department of Health (DH), the reply to the question raised by the Hon Tang Fei is as follows:
(1) The DH set up the Advisory Group on Health Effects of Use of Internet and Electronic Screen Products in 2013 comprising members representing the DH, the EDB, the Social Welfare Department, the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, as well as academics and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The Advisory Group published the Report of Advisory Group on Health Effects of Use of Internet and Electronic Screen Products in 2014, which provided recommendations on the healthy use of the Internet and electronic screen products for children, adolescents, parents and teachers. With reference to the guidelines of the World Health Organization, the Chinese Mainland, Singapore, the United States and Australia, etc, the DH updated the relevant health advice on the use of electronic screen products in 2018.
The Chief Executive's 2025 Policy Address announced that the DH would update the relevant guidelines to mitigate the impact of social media on the health of children and adolescents. The Advisory Group on Health Effects of Screen and Social Media Use for Children and Adolescents was established in October 2025 and is currently reviewing the latest scientific evidence as well as the relevant development and experiences in other countries and regions while consolidating expert opinions, with a view to issuing updated health recommendations on the use of electronic screens and social media by children and adolescents within 2026.
At present, the Student Health Service (SHS) under the DH provides free annual health assessment service for primary and secondary school students, including growth monitoring, vision and hearing assessments and Health Assessment Questionnaires. Students found to have health or behavioral problems (e.g. excessive use of electronic screen products) will be provided with health counselling and relevant information (such as support services and information on the online behaviours of children and adolescents) by healthcare professionals, and will be referred to the Special Assessment Service of the SHS, specialist clinics of the Hospital Authority or other organisations as appropriate for further assessment and treatment.
Besides, the Advisory Committee on Mental Health discussed the health impact of social media on children and adolescents at a meeting held in June 2025, and supported the Government in updating relevant health guidelines.
As regards subsidies for relevant researches, the Quality Education Fund (QEF) funds projects that aim to raise the quality of school education and promote quality school education. The scope of funding covers research projects that explore educational topics. Eligible applicants can submit their application proposals on related researches to the QEF through the Priority Themes Funding Programme.
Additionally, the Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF) provides funding support to evidence-based health promotion projects that help people adopt healthier lifestyles by enhancing awareness, changing adverse health behaviours and creating a conducive environment that supports good health practices. As of December 2025, the HMRF has funded seven projects related to impacts of electronic screen and social media use on the physical and psychological development of children and adolescents, with research topics covering the evaluation of prevalence and associated risk factors for pathological Internet use, Internet or video gaming addiction and excessive smart device usage among adolescents and young adults, as well as various intervention strategies.
(2) and (3) In response to the impacts of social media and the widespread use of the Internet (e.g. misinformation, Internet addiction and privacy risks), the EDB actively cultivates students' information literacy, and provided schools with the "Information Literacy for Hong Kong Students" Learning Framework in 2024 to strengthen information literacy-related learning elements in primary and secondary school curricula, fostering students' ability and attitude to use information and communication technologies effectively and ethically in their studies and daily lives, enabling them to evaluate information and media content, and understand how to protect themselves online. The Learning Framework adopts a whole-school approach and is closely related to all key learning areas. Relevant learning content has been integrated into various subjects in primary and secondary school curricula, including Primary Science, Primary Humanities, Junior Secondary Citizenship, Economics and Society, Senior Secondary Citizenship and Social Development, Information and Communication Technology, as well as Values Education. The EDB also continually provides teachers with relevant professional development courses and teaching resources to support schools. Furthermore, the EDB has commissioned NGOs to provide telephone hotlines to offer individual support to teachers, students and parents in need.
(4) Home and school are key environments where children learn and develop healthy habits. The EDB attaches great importance to parent education, and introduced the Curriculum Frameworks on Parent Education for primary school and secondary schools in 2022 and 2024 respectively. One of the core strands of the Curriculum Frameworks is the promotion of healthy, happy and balanced development of children/adolescents (including facilitating healthy use of the Internet, electronic devices and social media). Besides, the EDB, the Committee on Home-School Co-operation and the Hong Kong Education City jointly organise a series of parent seminars every year, inviting experts and social workers to share with parents on topics such as parenting for the e-Generation, information literacy, youth online culture, online risks and tips for handling Internet addiction of children. The EDB also timely disseminates important messages to support the physical and psychological development of students, which include videos and articles on helping children use electronic devices properly, preventing children from falling into online pitfalls and handling Internet addiction of children through the Smart Parent Net one-stop parent education information website (www.parent.edu.hk) and its social media platforms for parents' reference.
Ends/Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Issued at HKT 15:30
Issued at HKT 15:30
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