Hong Kong is addicted to smartphones, and people in the city know it.
🤔What’s going on?
Hong Kong is addicted to smartphones, and people in the city know it. A recent survey of 1,000 Hong Kongers by Preplay, an online language learning service, found that over 63% of respondents said that they were addicted to their phones.
But those people are also trying to fix the issue, as 76.5% of respondents said they are actively trying to cut down on screen time on their phones.
While this is a recent update, the survey isn’t really telling us anything we didn’t already know. Study after study in recent years has revealed that more and more people are hooked on their smartphones – in Hong Kong, in Greater China and all over the world.
“Seeing that over 60% of respondents declared being addicted was not such a surprise to us, but more than 76% willing to cut back was as it shows a sense of awareness. But with the city being more and more connected, cutting back might be harder than people think,” Sylvia Johnson, the Head of Learning Design at Preplay, told TMS.
👦👧Does gender come into play?
The Preplay study also touched on an interesting trend that has shown up in a few recent studies: women may be more addicted to their phones than men. Of the people who took the survey, 68.8% of women said they were addicted to their smartphones compared to 59.3% of men.
“The survey shows that women are more likely to engage in activities such as social media, video streaming, and online gaming (which surprisingly is the same rate as for males), which are known to be particularly engaging and habit-forming,” said Johnson. “These activities often involve continuous content consumption, social interactions and gamification elements that can lead to more prolonged usage and higher chances of addiction.”
Now, the gender difference could be because women are more open and ready to admit to screen addiction, but a few recent studies have also suggested there are some differences in the relationships women and men have with their phones.
In a major study published in November 2023, a team of global researchers studied about 50,000 people between the ages of 18 to 90 from 195 countries and found that “women scored higher than men in problematic smartphone use.”
The team was not sure why there was a gender discrepancy, but study author Jay Olson from the University of Toronto Mississauga said in a press release, “We weren’t expecting this kind of robust consistency.”
Another co-author, Dasha Sandra, a master's student at the University of Toronto Scarborough, said: “Our results are what you would expect to find from the literature. But I was a little surprised at how consistently younger women reported being more addicted to their smartphones. In almost every country, the trend was exactly the same.”
A similar study of university students in China also reported that “Male students were found less likely to have more excessive mobile phone use in this study, which is consistent with the findings in Korean students and in other populations elsewhere.”
🤳The impact of phones on daily life
Using our smartphones has become a part of daily life. The Preplay survey found that 25% of respondents spent more than three hours a day on their phones for entertainment, and the company discovered that those hours were cutting into time that could be spent with family, exercising and getting outside, or focusing on hobbies and other activities.
Most people know that mobile phones have become a double-edged sword. We have access to unlimited information within seconds, but we also have to consider the risks of social media, constant notifications, and apps designed to distract us from more important things.
Johnson, from Preplay, said, “It's important to note the high penetration rate in Hong Kong, where over 97% of those aged 10 and above have a smartphone. It's common to see everyone with a phone in hand, whether in the street, on public transportation, in elevators or even among kids.”
She added, “A particularly amusing aspect is that it's not uncommon to jump into a taxi and discover the driver has 3-4 phones on the dashboard.”
With pretty much everyone having phones (and from such a young age) and using them all the time, it can definitely affect our mental health. Sandra Kushnir, the Founder and CEO of Meridian Counseling and who has expertise in behavioral addictions, including phone addiction, told TMS that smartphones in “highly connected societies like Hong Kong can have a significant impact on daily life, relationships and mental health.”
Kushnir said, “Phone addiction, often fueled by the constant accessibility and allure of smartphones, can lead to compulsive usage patterns that are challenging to break.”
A 2021 study from the National Library of Medicine explains that excessive smartphone use is associated with “depression, anxiety, social anxiety, shyness, low self-esteem, low psychological well-being, and low mental well-being.” The study also found that mobile phone addiction seems correlated with extreme stress, as smartphones are often used as a tool to relax. Hong Kong is a high-stress society, meaning it’s likely that more people turn to their phones to unwind.
The 2020 Chinese university study also found a link between high phone usage and slacking in school. “Students with more excessive mobile phone use prefer to use a more superficial approach to learning, instead of a deep approach (e.g., to fully understand the content studied), which could result in poor academic performance,” the authors wrote.
📱So, what can we do?
Smartphones aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, so it’s really up to us to build a healthy relationship with our phones.
Seth Eisenberg, the president and CEO at PAIRS Foundation, a non-profit that aims to strengthen relationships, told TMS that phone addiction “reflects a deeper need for connection, one that is perhaps misdirected or insufficiently fulfilled through these digital devices.” He explained: “Our brains are wired for bonding – meaningful, face-to-face human connection. When this is lacking, we often turn to substitutes, such as our phones, which offer the illusion of connection through social media, games and other distractions. However, these digital interactions don't truly fulfill our need for bonding, leading to a cycle of compulsive use without real satisfaction,” he said.
Eisenberg said that the best way to fight phone addiction is to cure the disease, not the symptom. So, instead of focusing just on reducing screen time, he suggested creating environments where genuine emotional connections are the norm – especially with children – which he said would make us less likely to look for a substitute in our phones.
“It's not just about managing the addiction, but about re-establishing the kind of deep, meaningful connections that are essential for psychological well-being,” he said.
Kushnir also had some ideas for breaking phone addictions, including digital detox periods in which we keep specific times of the day screen-free. Apps that limit our usage, as well as taking advantage of “do not disturb” mode, are also proven ways to stop notifications that may give us the urge to dive into the phone.
“For those struggling with phone addiction, creating physical barriers can also be helpful. Simple steps like keeping the phone out of the bedroom at night, using a traditional alarm clock instead of a phone or designating specific areas of the home as phone-free zones can significantly reduce temptation and promote mindful use,” said Kushnir.
🗣️What people are saying
“We hope readers take away a deeper understanding of the impact of smartphone addiction and the importance of finding a healthier balance between digital and real-life activities.”
– Sylvia Johnson, the Head of Learning Design at Preplay
“Researchers think women tend to use their phones more for social reasons, communication with friends and family via social media.”
– Jay Olson, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto Mississauga
“[Screen time limiting] tools help users become more aware of their usage patterns and set boundaries around phone use, gradually reducing their reliance on their devices.”
– Sandra Kushnir, CEO at Meridian Counseling
“Smartphone overuse is an increasingly common phenomenon globally that has significant implications not only on current but also future mental health risks.”
– Study authors analyzing depression rates among young Hong Kongers who overuse their phones
“By addressing this core need for bonding, we can begin to tackle the symptoms—whether they manifest as phone addiction or other compulsive behaviors. It's not just about managing the addiction, but about re-establishing the kind of deep, meaningful connections that are essential for psychological well-being.”
– Seth Eisenberg, President and CEO at PAIRS Foundation
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