

group of online safety advocates have banded together to call on the government to lift the social media age limit to 16 years old in New Zealand.
“It’s a group of tech and business leaders, researchers, parenting educators and parents who have real concern with what’s happening with our young people online,” explained Holly Brooker, online safety advocate.
It's a group of tech and business leaders, researchers, parenting educators and parents who have real concern with what's happening with our young people online.
Read the full article on Stuff.

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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.
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New data from the WHO Regional Office for Europe reveals a sharp rise in problematic social media use among adolescents, with rates increasing from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022. This, coupled with findings that 12% of adolescents are at risk of problematic gaming, raises urgent concerns about the impact of digital technology on the mental health and well-being of young people.
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