Dear Dr Shibabrata Pattanayak

I know what you mean, but it is not the right and proper solution, I believe in no obligation, no limitation, no force!

A good suggestion!

If we had the power to block the waves reaching their gadgets that would be even better.

It may be one the measures to save this young generation from social media.

But ultimately it is the responsibility of the parents to take care of their kids and be vigilant to avoid undue use of social media. Every parents must restrict the children from excessive use of internet and they should try to fix a minimum time limit for children to use social sites each day.

May be....

Proposing the staying from social media for a day or a period could break it's addictive sting off the youth and even for us. But why Mondays? My tough works (online/social media) are on mondays so let's choose another day. May be Friday. However, it's a very great suggestion.

Yes, I think so.

Just Mondays? What about other days? Inasmuch as it could help curtail the rate of addiction, they still have the remaining 6 days to waste on social media.

It seems like a good suggestion and we can give it a try, but I don't think it might prove very effective. Addiction to social media is a real and growing problem. Many people spend far too much time on social media and may at the very least describe them as being “obsessed”, if not addicted.

Dear colleagues,

It is just a proposal. A 'holiday' may be fixed to give rest to the brain and to cult the string of addiction for social media. It may be any day, or may be fixed at different day at different countries.

Thanks.

Wherever there is restriction, we try to violate it. This is human nature. So in my opinion young generation cannot be kept away from the social media in this way.

If youths don't have their ways on social network or not addicted to social network, hope they will not take on something worse such as rapes, fraud, drugs and so on.

Yes

I am skeptical. But, the proposal of the main question of the thread is better than nothing.

Regards

Yes, good point raised based on current issues.

RG is also a social media for scientists. Will all of accept it the site is closed on Mondays, when our weekly score cards are made available. In my opinion all social media are good. Our young generation should be taught how to use these media judiciously.

In my opinion , one need to look for alternate solution. Closing social media may not be appropriate solution.

I think the youth may not see the problem as an addiction. The rest of us do. So the first step is for us to make them understand the addiciton issue (to those youth who are addicted). For the counselors or treatment providers dealing with alcoholism or drug addiction, the first step for the user is to admit that there is a problem and they are powerless over it (Alcoholics Anonymous, AA's Step 1). I don't know what would convince the social media addict that they have a problem. Maybe they are crossing the road while actively looking at social media on their cell phone and they get run over by a vehicle? Is this enough of an eye opener for that person or his close friends? Shutting down social media on a particular day of the week is not the solution because it is not often feasible. There may be legal issues also if it is selectively targeted at a particular group of people. Many states in the USA have laws that prohibit sale of alcohol before noon on Sundays. Some states or counties have a total ban. These have not curbed the rate of alcoholism.

No. George Orwell was right ! How nice was it, to get up with my grandfather in the very early morning and to listen to the birds.

Dear Dr Shibabrata Pattanayak

I know what you mean, but it is not the right and proper solution, I believe in no obligation, no limitation, no force!

This is a good suggestion and it is necessary sociological demand of today. I feel practicable solution for today's youths. Closing social media for one day may open many other avenues like family bonding , thinking and developing self and so on..

It is not the solution; it is as, that one individual who is having 600 pounds weight, and one suggests that please cut down your 0.2 kilo calories intake in 24 hours.

I think self discipline is what should be preached. Making social media inactive for certain period of time may not break the addition, it can only keep one away for a while and as soon as it is activated, it continues.

No, I don't think so. If we prevent them from using SM they will find something else to get addicted to, like Video Games, TV ...

Furthermore, some social media such as ResearchGate and LinkedIn or some specialized forums are the useful SM.

So, I believe that instead of preventing them to use something, we'd better to redirect the way they use it. If they use SM for educational purposes, why not use it even during the week?

I think,no! Some decades ago the chancelor Helmut Schmidt recommended a similar suggestion in his TV-adress at Christmas - He got many complaonts and protests of German citizens. They want to decide free, without moral obligation.

Nope !!!!! Addiction is because normalcy is not defined :)

Let them , plzzzzz let me toooooo ...

No , the thing with youngsters is they think :

a. For communication /sharing etc etc

b. Some like Instagram for fame

Let them enjoy and then growing up being a adult is tough .... They will know that we need not scare them ...

VERY interesting and thought-provoking topic @ Dr Shibabrata Pattanayak

gave rise to VERY stimulating and challenging answers from respected RG colleagues. ............ Following

This is a funny idea to entertain in one's thoughts. Deep societal addictions like ubiquitous usage of social networks, electronic games, communication devices, and Internet apps are innocuous by themselves, unless aggravated with a lack of culture, education, or leading to a progressing systematic procrastination.

I do not know if social media can be turned off for one day. I suppose that appeals for inactivity will not help if it's an addiction for someone. I think that there should be more public information about the harmfulness of this type of addiction. In Poland, very little is said about addiction to social media.

Different opinions - very interesting!!!

may be

I think yes, but before start this step, one should think about alternatives.

This is like asking an alcoholic to drink everyday except on Mondays and hope this will be a cure!

In my view it is a secret mind manipulation program to test what physiology can a person have. It can also be used as to predict the future action of individual.

I agree with Prof Dr K N Sheth sir because the family life has been lost in these days

It depends on the will power!

This is a test for self control for young generation. The young generation should be developed self control at the early stage of life so that they will be more self discipline in the latter part of the life.

I strongly recommend your proposal.

The issue is rooted right now and it is so hard to keep them out of social media , myself included. So many things are dependent on them. I recommend arranging time and mild usage.

hi. blocking one day cannot solve this delicate problem. it needs some kind of gradual education. it is not an overnight problem with an spontaneous solution. a multi-faceted issue needs great minds with great suggestions. yours can be one option. best

We are used to living both in the real and virtual world. Is it a kind of addiction? If communication is the third need of a human being, everybody tries to find the relevant partner or the source of information, whom or which he/she trusts or is interested in. It depends on our IQ+EQ. I agree with the replacement of activities from time to time /passive-active, real-virtual, intellectual-physical, for fun-for knowledge.../, but I will miss my circle of communication and it doesn't matter if it's virtual or real one.I'm sure, it's the problem of social injustice and inequality, when our children and we can't find an adequate replacement- in travelling, medical service, free education, ecologically pure nature, arts and sciences, well-paid and creative employment...Loneliness is a social problem of the enslaved human being with "arrested development" Nobody can solve it by the violent methods. The system, oriented only on enrichment is able to ruin an ordinary human being, but the human being will survive thanks to AI.

It is better than nothing, I have a real experiment, blocking social media for two hours daily and randomly, not at regular times. The result was positive - to some degree - as it was a de-facto, but it is not a basic radical solution.

Why every monday?

Dear Dr. Chalise,

This question was discussed previously. It is a proposal. It may be performed at any specified day of the week or at different specified days at different countries.

Thanks.

As mentioned by Soyemi earlier, I also believe that self-discipline is likely to be more effective than imposed discipline.

Many of us may not be aware of our state of addition. Efforts towards spreading awareness may help.

I think before COLLEGE STUDIES, use of smart phone shall be minimum.

Social Network Addiction – Symptoms and Risks

Spending too much time on social networks could create false self-image, false sense of reality, false sense of security, false sense of friendship. Anxiety and stress might be the only reward.

http://www.yeswecanclinics.com/treatments-offered/social-network-addiction/

Ways to get rid of from social media addiction:

One day deactivation may not be the solution. Working in social network in a disciplined manner may help to come out from addiction.

The following measures are supportive:

Fix a time slot for social media- rest of the day the accounts should be in deactivated mode, Turn off notifications, Get a hobby, Spend time with family and friends, and Involve in some creative and innovative work of your interest.

Regards

This goes counter to the concept of individual freedom and choices. Rather I would prefer that the younger generation/target generation needs to be made aware about the pros and cons both and also the need to make technology our slave and not the other way round.

This can be done with the help of educationists and other stakeholders.

Regards

Vibha

Dear Dr. Sharma,

The alcohol shops are kept closed at every Thursday in India!

So it may not be a question of individual liberty.

Thanks.

On holidays, yes I think so, because holidays are better for social communication between family members and relatives.

We are like astronauts between reality and illusion, mirage and looming, space and earth. Is a pleasant illusion of flying/medication/ an addiction? Yes, if it causes a mental illness. To Paracelsus, "Poison is in everything, and no thing is without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy". "It's easy to make a change if the change makes it easier"The original test on addiction and the article by R.Darell http://www.bitrebels.com/geek/13-examples-of-computer-addiction-gone-too-far/

Dear Dr. Pechonkina,

Your comment is good, but the added picture is EXCELLENT!.

Thanks.

Good proposal.

Yes

There are all kind of ways to be addicted. Some people, like myself, become very rapidly totally fascinate by a given subject and can for a certain period of time become a bit fanatic and obsessed by it. During this period, we rapidly master the topic and then we can come out of it, like out of a dream. We may call this period of fascination, a period of addiction. I can become addicted very rapidly and ceased to be very rapidly. I am addicted to my coffee in the morning. I like this addiction and so maintain it. If I would cease to like it for whatever reason, I would cease this addiction. I like to take half an hour in the morning and one hour in the evening on RG. I am addicted to thinking creatively and RG offered me opportunity to continue this addiction. I enjoyed it and so will continue it as long as I enjoyed it. I never want to even touch drugs. THese are the kind of addictions I always been afraid, the addiction that destroy mind, I only practice the addiction to build mind and the body, almost. So I do not think that the youth should be worry about addictions that benefit them. We should not worry of addictions in general, only addictions that seem to be negative, creating problems. And we should not always assume that we know best. If someone needs 10 hours a day of TV for a while, yes it is excessive but maybe it is what the person need for a while. Being excessive for period of time is not necessarily bad. Being moderate is not necessaritly good.