“I believe without proper counter-measures, the UK will also face the same problems that Korea is facing, when high speed internet... becomes more available throughout [the] country.”
-Dr Kim Seong-Byuk, Korean Youth Protection Division
Released in April 2009, The Digital Britain Report outlines the governments plan to have 100% internet coverage in the Uk by 2012, with a minimum speed of 2Mbps and cheaper services across the country. The £300m Home Access Scheme will also aim to get internet into low income homes.
“Addiction to the internet poses a serious threat to the mental health of young Europeans.”
Source - World Health Organisation ‘A Snapshot of the Health of Young People in Europe 2009’
Released in April 2009, The Digital Britain Report outlines the governments plan to have 100% internet coverage in the Uk by 2012, with a minimum speed of 2Mbps and cheaper services across the country. The £300m Home Access Scheme will also aim to get internet into low income homes.
The Digital Britain Report aims to be a guidepath for how Britain can sustain its position as a leading digital economy and society. T
he Digital Britain sectors account for nearly £1 in every £10 that the whole economy produces each year.
'We are at an inflection point in technology, in capability and in demand. Those countries and governments that strategically push forward their digital communications sector will gain substantial and long-lasting competitive advantage'.
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| Promotional image for the Government's 'Digital Britain' policy document |
Previous studies have indicated that Internet accessibility is one of the most decisive factors for overuse by college students (Morahan-Martin & Schumacher, 2000; Anderson, 2001; Lin & Tsai, 2002). When access is free and easy, college students tend to be vulnerable to becoming addicted to the Internet (Kandell, 1998). In South Korea, adolescents have easy Internet access due to the nationwide Internet infrastructure and are more likely, therefore, to be vulnerable to pathological Internet use. The UK is attempting to emulate Korea's infrastructure, and with it is likely to inherit these trends.
In 2009, the Uk opened its first specialised Internet Addiction facility in Somerset. The Uk organisation ChildWise also published its report, 'Digital Lives' in 2010, examining the behavioural trends of children in conjunction with digital media use. Read the text here.