Dr Lee Boon Chye needs to address the root cause of youth’s internet addiction, instead of restricting internet access

I urge Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye to address the root cause of youth’s internet addiction problem, and not overdo it by blaming the internet that provides much convenience to the masses.  

Dr Lee Boon Chye had earlier announced that the Ministry of Health is considering emulating Japan in restricting internet access past midnight for youths aged below 17 years old.

Not only that, Dr Lee Boon Chye’s ‘‘one size fits all’’ approach cannot resolve the youth’s internet addiction problem, it is unwise to generalise the root cause of this common problem affecting the youth.   

The Ministry of Health must resolve the problem at its root cause, and address it through family education, which will solve it once and for all.

Restricting and prohibiting youths under the age of 17 in China from internet access from midnight to 6 o'clock in the wee hours of morning is a palliative approach, and comes with difficulties in law enforcement. On the contrary, family education and parental attention on children are the only key solutions. Parental care and love for the children, as well as ways of effective cure against the habits of Internet addiction should also be reviewed by the Ministry of Health, rather than merely reviewing and restricting internet access.

I also urge the Pakatan Ministers and Deputy Minsters to refrain from spreading news before finalising the policy and the detailed plan. This will not only invoke unnecessary panic, but also affect the integrity of the government.

The Pakatan-led federal government seems to enjoy self-boasting and gaining publicity by announcing unascertained policies. Little do they know that the so-called ‘‘new policies’’ have no details at all, and the Ministers failed to answer any question when asked. The proposed National Health Insurance is one bad example, where Dr Lee Boon Chye was quick to spill it to the media without giving any details. The move has attracted much debates among members of the public, and was criticised for not engaging the relevant stakeholders and masses. The hasty announcement was said to invoke panic within the society.

Lau Chin Kok
MCA Publicity Bureau Deputy Chairman

-MCA online-