ocial media bans, digital curfews and time limits on apps are to be trialled in the homes of hundreds of UK teenagers.
The test, led by the UK government, will see 300 teens have their social apps disabled entirely, blocked overnight or capped to one hour's use - with some also seeing no such changes at all - in order to compare their experiences.
It will run alongside the government's consultation asking whether the UK should follow in Australia's footsteps by making it illegal for under-16s to have access to many social media sites.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said it was about "testing different options in the real world".
"These pilots will give us the evidence we need to take the next steps, informed by the experiences of families themselves," she added.
Children and parents involved in the trial will be interviewed before and after the pilot scheme to assess its impact.
Meanwhile, the government's consultation about banning social media for children will continue to run until 26 May.
Read the full article on BBC.
In the past few years internet addiction (IA) and internet gaming disorder (IGD) have become very frequent, leading to many personality and psychiatric disorders including low self-esteem, impulsivity, poor sleep quality, mood disorder, and suicide. IA has been included in Appendix III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as IGD. In addition, IA leads to many neuroanatomical and neurochemical alterations including cortical thinning of various components of the brain and altered dopaminergic reward circuitry.
Read More
As this 60 Minutes report discovers, you can have too much of a good thing. What's being called “Internet Addiction Disorder” is ruining lives and even changing the way our brains process information. Worse still, experts are seeing dangerous signs in toddlers.
Read MoreScreen Sense offers personalised one-to-one support to help you better understand your digital habits and make practical, lasting changes to the way you use technology.
Sessions >
