(25 August) Health
officials have listed the potential dangers that come with usage of the popular chat application
?LINE? among youngsters such as road accidents, aggression, and disconnection with the world around
them.
Mr. Sorawong Thienthong, Deputy Public Health Minister, expressed his concern that the chat
apps like LINE are double-edged swords, noting that while it
provides convenience in communication, the application also has an impact the behaviour of teenagers
in both physical and mental well-being.
Bending down the head, for an instance, is one of
the behaviours when using smartphone and may lead to many problems, according to Mr. Sorawong. The
effects include the lack of face-to-face communication, living in their own little world, and acting
in carelessness which would increase the chances of car accidents, he
said.
According to a survey from the National Statistical Office, 44 million people aged over
6 years own smartphones. That number accounts for approximately 70 percent of Thai population and is
more likely to increase in the future.
LINE has been
used by youngsters to send various forms of communication like texts, voice messages, photos, stickers and even
homework submission to their teachers. LINE can be downloaded for free in
Thailand.
Md. Wachira Pengjuntr, the Deputy
Director-General of the Department of Mental Health, agreed with Mr. Sorawong′s warning about the
hazards of the LINE appilcation.
Some children use Line every day and that might destroy
chances to develop relationships with others and if they use Line too much, the children are more
likely to be harsh, Md. Wachira claimed.
He asserted that the cause of increased emotional
aggression is due to fact that the users communicate through texts and stickers to illustrate
their emotions in the virtual world instead of showing them in the real world.
Parents
should create rules for their children to use LINE appropriately and give them advice on how to chat
with the application without ruining their everyday life,
Md. Wachira
added.
The National Statistical
Office Bangkok shows that Bangkok is the city that has most smartphone users in Thailand –
accounting for 84 percent of the metropolis? population.
By region, 75 percent in the
central region people are using smartphones, 68 percent in the northern part, 67 percent in the
southern part and lastly, the northeast part, is the least smartphone-covered region – account for
64 percent.
Previously, the commander of the technology crime suppression division of the
Thai police told the press the force would like an access to chatlogs of potential lawbreakers in
order to monitor their activities, raising protests from civil rights activists and much of the
general public.
LINE representative in Thailand insisted that the application does not store
the users? chatlogs.
