Warning over screen time and chatbots as number of depressed hits record high

One in three Hong Kong adults have moderate to severe symptoms of depression, almost triple the rate from 2012, with Generation Z respondents who spent a lot of time on screens affected the most, a survey has found.The biennial study, conducted by the Mental Health Association NGO and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), also found that 22 per cent of the 2,700 adult respondents turned to AI chatbots to manage their stress, which experts on Thursday described as “risky” as this could delay seeking professional help.The survey, conducted between September and November last year, found the depression index of respondents, derived from self-reporting of symptoms, stood at 7.27 out of 27, the highest since 2012 when the poll was launched.About 30 per cent of respondents scored 10 or above – a moderate to severe level – for depression, up from about 11 per cent in 2012.The proportion of people scoring 15 or more – a moderately severe or severe level – climbed from about 4 per cent to 13 per cent over the same period. About one in four had thoughts of suicide or self-harming.Angela Cui Jialiang, an assistant professor of the department of social work at CUHK, attributed the record-high depression level to a combination of social and environmental stressors.