When humans get increasingly addicted to a melange of sophisticated technologies, amazed by Artificial Intelligence, and even grown desperately reliant on them, there is no denial that embracing technology is becoming an irreversible megatrend.

That being said, why are governments excessively worried about such a development and are determined to take the necessary actions, even to the extent of reverting to the good old ways to save our next generation?

Where exactly does the problem lie? Should we put away all our mobile devices and move back to a caveman’s hideout, or let technology drag us into the abyss of the wired black hole?

Perhaps the answer is not that complicated after all. Instead of shunning it, perhaps it is best for us to learn to live peacefully with technology, master and make good use of it, and not be subjugated by it, at the same time taking active steps to comprehend the meaning of life!

Now, let us take a look at the steps adopted by some countries in more recent years:

Sweden

Swedish students still had a learning terminal in their hands back in 2006, as textbooks got gradually digitalised. Nevertheless, by 2022 the country’s education ministry came to see the negative impact of electronic devices on the students’ learning process, as children were found to be unable to focus on their schoolwork for protracted periods of time, could not think deeply nor read or write long sentences.

Teaching policies were subsequently reviewed, and the authorities actively called for “de-digitalisation”, and attached importance to physical textbooks and hands-on writing once again.

The Netherlands

The Netherlands does not have any law governing the minimum age of social media users, but the government has gradually banned the use of mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets and other electronic devices at primary and secondary schools across the country since last January, with the exceptions of computer classes, medical needs, and certain circumstances.

Finland

Replacing physical textbooks with electronic devices in class has rendered Finnish teenagers easily distracted and difficult to concentrate. As a result, some schools have begun to revert to physical textbooks, cutting back the use of electronic devices such as laptops.

The Finnish government plans to introduce reforms at primary schools, including strengthening the management of students’ mobile phone usage.

The government hopes to clarify through laws as to the powers schools and teachers may have in restricting the students’ mobile phone use.

Australia

On November 28, a bill was passed to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media – one of the most stringent in the world against Big Tech.

France

In June 2023, France passed a law requiring social media platforms to verify the age of their users. Minors under the age of 15 must obtain parental consent to open social media accounts.

The UK

The UK Online Safety Act will be put into implementation from 2025, setting stricter criteria on certain parameters such as age limits, for social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.

The United States

Many states in the United States have tightened supervision over social media use by minors.

Among the bills passed or drafted are the Maryland Kids Code, Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation for Kids Act, the New York Child Data Protection Act, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and Children’s Internet Safety Act.

China

In 2019, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) promoted the “Youth Mode” to regulate minors’ online browsing behaviours, prohibiting minors from using mobile devices to access the Internet between 10 pm and 6 am.

In August 2023, the CAC announced draft guidelines to restrict the daily smartphone use of minors aged 16 to 18 to not more than two hours, and one hour for those between 8 and 16.