又中又英 | In a world of your own | 褚简宁

　　Friends often send me links of articles or videos on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms. I often remind them I do not use social media. I only have WhatsApp, Signal, and Gmail to keep in touch with family, friends, and colleagues. I watch YouTube shows about current affairs to stay informed. But I mostly read newspapers, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and The Standard to keep up with world and Hong Kong news. I know people who are so addicted to social media that they cannot tear themselves away even during social gatherings. They are in a world of their own.

　　If you cannot tear yourself away from something, it means you have great difficulty stopping an activity you enjoy. If you are in a world of your own, it means you focus so much on what you are doing that you pay no attention to what's happening around you. Whether governments should ban young people from using social media is a burning question in some countries. A burning question is an urgent or important subject or question that requires quick attention. Australia last week became the first country to ban young people under 16 years from using social media to protect their mental health and from harmful content.

　　Some other countries are thinking of doing the same or something similar, including New Zealand, Denmark, China, and the US. It will be much harder for the US because the First Amendment of the Constitution protects free speech. Experts are divided over the effects of banning social media. Some say this could cause loneliness. Others say people can live happy lives without social media.

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　　朋友不时传来TikTok、Facebook、Instagram或其他社交媒体平台的文章或影片的连结，我常提醒他们我并不使用社交媒体。我只用WhatsApp、Signal和Gmail，去跟家人、朋友和同事保持联络。我会看YouTube一些关于时事的节目，以取得最新资讯。但我最主要是阅读报章，包括《纽约时报》、《华尔街日报》、《卫报》和《英文虎报》，以跟上世界与香港新闻。我知道，那些非常沉迷玩社交媒体的人，连在社交聚会也难以抽离（tear themselves away）。他们陶醉在自己的世界里（in a world of their own）。

　　若你不能tear yourself away from something，意即你很难停止去做一样自己享受的活动，从当中抽身。若你是in a world of your own，意即你沉浸在自己的世界中，像跟外界隔绝一样，并不留意身边发生的事。政府是否应该禁止年轻人使用社交媒体，在许多国家中是个 burning question－－a burning question是当务之急，或急切需要注意的重要议题或问题。澳洲上周成为首个禁止16岁以下年轻人使用社交媒体的国家，去保护他们的心理健康，和助他们远离有害的内容。

　　另一些国家包括新西兰、丹麦、中国和美国，都正在考虑做同样或类近的事。对于美国做这事的难度高许多，因为美国宪法第一修正案保障言论自由。而在禁止使用社交媒体的效果上，专家们也有分歧。有些说这会导致孤单感。另一些则说，没有了社交媒体，人们可以过快乐的生活。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻