With the rising popularity of smart phones and vastly improved Internet accessibility, the Internet has become an essential part of our lives. The downside of this is the rise in the number of smart phone addicts. Young people addicted to online games and social networking to the detriment of their studies, and psychological and physical health, are a pressing concern of educators in recent years.

Prof. Leung Seung-ming Alvin (2nd left), Dean of Education at CUHK; Prof. Barley Mak (1st left), director of the Centre for Enhancing English Learning and Teaching at CUHK; Mr. Chan Tak-hang (1st right), educator; and Dr. Yuen Pong-yiu (2nd right), secondary school principal, talked about this issue from different perspectives at the CUHK 50th Anniversary Public Lecture entitled 'Shaking off Internet Addiction: Issues and Challenges' held at the Hong Kong Central Library on 21 September.

Mr. Chan said some online game design companies would invite young people to try their products for free before launch, and use their feedback to refine the games. In fact, most of these games featuring sophisticated drawings, stimulating design and role-playing elements, have been polished over and over again. That's why they are well-received by their target customers.

All the speakers believed an abundance of resources is needed to prevent students from Internet addiction. For example, teachers have to revise their lesson plans from time to time to keep them up-to-date and interesting. Students should be encouraged to develop other hobbies so they wouldn't concentrate solely on the Internet. Professor Leung emphasized that parents play an extremely important role in helping their children to kick their Internet addiction. Persistence, love and care from families are the major driving forces for young people to shake off their addiction with determination.