The youth who make up Thailand's Gen Z now spend on average five hours a day online, which is three times above the global average, heightening concern over how this might negatively affect their personality and mental health, experts warned.
On average, Thai children and young people spend 35 hours online each week, said Pairoj Saonuam, director of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation's (ThaiHealth) health promotion office.
While a large chunk of this time was previously devoted to Facebook, many have now shifted to Twitter because they want to avoid their parents spying on them, he said, citing a recent survey by Thoth Zocial Co, a social data monitoring and analytics firm.
Another study conducted by the Internet Foundation for the Development of Thailand, a non-profit organisation, found that 95% of Thai youths were well aware of the dangers that come with the internet. At least 70% of them knew that their online peers don't always tell the complete truth and close to 46% admitted to being bullied online, said Dr Pairoj.
"Only the beautiful side of life is presented on social medi,a such as when having a luxurious dinner, going on an expensive trip, or buying a high-priced item," he said. "Photos are always well-edited before they are posted online. This points to materialism being rampant in online or 'virtual' society, which could lead to depression in real life," he added.
Meanwhile, Jiraporn Arunakul, a specialist in adolescent medicine at Ramathibodi Hospital, said depression seen in children is often associated with their tendency to compare what they have in real life with what others post online.
Gen Z children, born between 1997 and 2010, were raised with more comfort and convenience thanks to the digital age. This explains why many opt to communicate largely via the internet and are increasingly obsessed with social media, he said.
This could result in them lacking interpersonal skills and missing out on real-life social activities that are necessary to obtain self-esteem and respect, she said.
Among the top conditions consulted at teen clinics these days is aggressive behaviour, depression and poor performance in academia, which are mostly associated with gaming and internet addiction, she said.
One possible solution to this problem is fostering a courage-based mindset, analytical thinking, online literacy, skills in understanding people around them, and self-control and self-discipline, she added.
Since it is incredibly difficult for parents to always be there for their children, the best they can and should do is support them by helping them have a strong and positive mindset, said Dr Pairoj.