With the recent rise of many social media
platforms, it is of no surprise that social media addiction is fast becoming a
problem. People with this problem tend to have a compulsive urge to surf social
media excessively, to the extent that it affects their daily activities.
According to an info graphic compiled by Go-Globe in 2014, there were 2.03
billion active social media users worldwide, which was a 28% global
penetration. In Singapore, one of the most wired places in the world, there was
a 62% active social media penetration in 2014. This figure is more than double
the global penetration. Focusing on youths of ages 15 to 35, a study by
Singapore Polytechnic has shown that they spend at least 5 hours a day online
on average. It is easy to see how this amount of time can spiral out of
control. Even more shocking is the fact that many are unaware that they are
even addicted. Currently, there are treatments to help people kick their
addiction to social media. However, prevention is better than cure. To prevent
social media addiction amongst youths, the root cause must first be tackled and
this can be done by having the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI)
and the Ministry of Education (MOE) collaborating in educating the youths.
Addiction to social media can be attributed to the
release of dopamine, a chemical neurotransmitter associated with motivation and
reward response in the human brain, whenever we receive and answer a
notification. (Franceschi-Bicchierai, 2012) However, this instant gratification
comes with more dire effects than expected for youths. It is affecting them in
various aspects of life. Since youths are still schooling, being addicted to
social media can negatively affect their grades. They are so fixated on checking
for updates that their attention span decreases, making it hard to concentrate
on their work or during lessons. It is ironic that social media were created to
connect us more easily, but instead, they have caused us to be socially isolated
and, made us lonelier than ever. Youths who are addicted to social media often
have the illusion that online interaction equates to companionship, when in
actual fact, it lacks the intimacy and friendship involved in the latter. Some
even deem it to be of greater importance than face-to-face interaction. These
youths are more prone to being obsessed with the virtual world, thereby
straining their familial ties and friendships. Self-esteem issues are also a
concern for those addicted. It was found that youths who spent more time online
experienced more frequent feelings of inadequacy due to constant comparison
with their peers on social media. (Guttmann, 2013)
The Singaporean government has identified that
social media addiction can be a serious problem amongst youths. Currently,
there are two counselling centres available that help with all forms of digital
addiction. They are the National Addictions Management Services (NAMS) and
TOUCH Community Services. Their services range from helplines, counselling
sessions and education campaigns. The counselling sessions provided by NAMS
seem to be very comprehensive. Not only do they have a clinic that specialises
in adolescents, they also have a well-rounded team consisting of professional
counsellors, psychiatrists, psychologists, family therapists and medical social
workers. (NAMS, n.d.) The treatment starts with an assessment of condition,
which then is followed by individual counselling and group therapy, and
finally, family therapy. (NAMS, n.d.) Youths addicted to social media have very
high chances of recovery when exposed to such an extensive treatment. On the
other hand, TOUCH Community Services focus on awareness campaigns pertaining to
different education levels under their TOUCH Cyber Wellness. They strive to
encourage students to make “informed and responsible decisions in the cyber
space”. (TOUCH Cyber Wellness, n.d.) These campaigns are highly interactive and
tailored to the needs of specific age groups, making them effective in grabbing
students’ attention.
Despite these existing services, the main problem
remains that youths do not even know the symptoms of social media addiction well
enough to realize that they need such treatments. Other than those who are
forced by their parents to go for counselling, many youths that are in need of
help are still oblivious as to how social media addiction is affecting them.
They deem their behaviour to be the norm of their generation, since their peers
seem to be doing the same as well. Even though there are education programmes that
are implemented in schools, such as those by TOUCH Cyber Wellness, to create
awareness among youths, their curricula are mostly centered around problems
like gaming addiction and cyberbullying rather than social media addiction.
This is why there needs to be a collaboration between MCI and MOE to come up
with a more versatile awareness campaign that focuses on the traits and impacts
of social media addiction so that youths can better identify themselves and
take charge of their treatment. They can then recover from their addiction
faster since they voluntarily went for counseling instead of being forced to do
so.
In conclusion, social media addiction is an
emerging problem that impedes the growth of our youths.
It is a 21st Century issue that needs to be solved before it evolves
into something even more menacing, and the best way to do so would be by having
a cooperation between MCI and MOE to create awareness of the issue amongst
youths.
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References
Franceschi-Bicchierai,L. (2012,
November 3). How is Facebook Addiction affecting our minds? [Infographic] Mashable. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2012/11/03/facebook-addiction/
GO-Globe. (2014, December 26).
Social media addiction- Statistics and Trends. [Blog post]. Retrieved from
http://www.go-globe.com/blog/social-media-addiction/
Guttmann, G. (2013). How
does social media affect your life? [Blog post]. Retrieved from
http://singapore.angloinfo.com/information/lifestyle/articles/social-media-addiction/
ReLive - Clinic for
Adolescents. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.nams.sg/services/Pages/Clinic-for-Adolescents.aspx
Sim, F. (2013, January 11).
S'pore youths spending more time online: study. Yahoo! News. Retrieved
from https://sg.news.yahoo.com/s-pore-youths-spending-more-time-online--study-100333925.html
Statista. (2014). Active
social media penetration in Asian countries in October 2014 [Data
file]. Retrieved from http://www.statista.com/statistics/255235/active-social-media-penetration-in-asian-countries/
Touch Community Services. (n.d.).
TOUCH Cyber Wellness. Retrieved from http://www.touch.org.sg/touch_cyber_wellness
TOUCH Cyber Wellness. (n.d.). Educate.
Retrieved from
http://www.planetcrush.org/programmes/educate.htm
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