1 . China has set new rules limiting the amount of time children can play online games. The rules limit children to just three hours of online game playing a week. That is one hour between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday most weeks.

Li Zhanguo has two children aged 4 and 8. Even though they do not have smartphones, they enjoy playing online games. Like many other parents. Li is happy with new government rules. But experts say it is unclear if such policies can help prevent addiction to online games. Children might just get addicted to social media instead. In the end, experts say, parents should be the ones to set limits and support good practice.

There has been a growing concern in China about gaming addiction among children. Government reports in 2018 found that about one in ten Chinese children were addicted to the Internet. The new rules are part of an effort to prevent young people from spending too much time on unhealthy entertainment. That includes what officials call the “irrational fan culture”

Under the new rules, the responsibility for making sure children play only three hours a day as largely on Chinese gaming companies like Net Ease and Ten cent. Companies have set up real-name registration systems to prevent young users from going past game time limits. They have used facial recognition technology to check their identities. And they have also set up a program that permits people to report what is against the law. It is unclear what punishments gaming companies may face if they do not carry out the policies. And even if such policies are performed, it is also unclear whether they can prevent online addiction.

A specialist treating Internet addiction expects about 20 percent of children will find ways to break the rules by borrowing accounts of their older relatives and find a way around facial recognition. In his opinion, short-video alps such as Douyin and Kuaishou are also very popular in China. They are not under the same restrictions as games.

3 . Social media has completely taken over everyday life, affecting how society runs and changing individuals in ways that even they can feel. While social media can act as a platform for people to express themselves, it can also be overwhelming, especially for high school teens.

To teenager Bryson Lan, quitting social media helped eliminate (消除) a significant distraction in his routine and keep up with teachers. “I was scrolling through social networking sites so much,” Lan said. “I was also starting to struggle since I entered my high school year. When school started, I was super overwhelmed (不知所措的), and I was just not ready for it.”

Most teenagers fear that by eliminating these apps, they will miss out on connections with their peers and feel a significant loss to their social life. However, Lan found he didn’t miss anything during his time without social media.

Another problem with social media is the amount of “junk content” posted. People are regularly posting and updating on social media, and much of the content has no meaning to other viewers and is ultimately a time suck.

However, social media isn’t all negative. Social media can be a place to develop passions and boost creativity. For example, Lan found his interest in photography blossom after seeing works from other photographers on social media. “Social media is a good place where you can have a portfolio (作品集) or upload your works,” Lan said. “A lot of people have photography accounts or art accounts. In some ways, I think it actually furthers your hobby.” “Thanks to this revolutionary development of social media, we can enjoy a world where everyone is closer than before,” Lan said. “But we also need to have the skills to make good use of social media, and that depends on each person’s efforts.”

5 . Under normal situations, falling asleep during a paid tour is a waste of money or an offense to your guide. But that’s not the case with this new experience coming out of Hong Kong. As its name shows, the Sleeping Bus Tour is designed to help passengers catch some sleep, and rides are already selling out.

A 2022 survey by the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Center of Communication and Public Opinion notes almost 70% people experiences some form of sleep disorder. Hong Kongers have much stress from work and need a space for sleeping, but their living spaces are too small. Some may not live alone and have to share apartments with their family, which may not be a good environment for a proper rest.

After noticing passengers falling asleep on their buses, the Hong Kong tour company, Ulu Travel Agency, recently launched such an innovative way for adults to sleep: the Sleeping Bus Tour. The five-hour bus ride takes passengers on an 83-kilometer journey aboard a regular double-decker bus. Not only is the Sleeping Bus Tour the first of its kind, it's also the longest bus route in Hong Kong, ensuring that tired passengers have plenty of time to enjoy some sleep.

When passengers board the bus, they are treated with a goodie bag complete with an eye mask and earplugs to help them sleep and they are allowed to bring their own blankets and slippers. The long ride includes a few stops for scenic spots and bathroom breaks. Passengers can also get off the bus if they’d prefer to continue their sleep at home rather than complete the entire journey. Tickets for the Sleeping Bus Tour are divided in four kinds from the “Zero-decibel (分贝) Sleeping Cabin“ to the ”VIP Cabin.” Prices range from about $17 USD to $115 USD per person. For more information on this unique experience, head to the Ulu travel company website.

8 . In the days before the Internet, critical thinking was the most important skill of informed citizens. But in the digital age, according to Anastasia Kozyreva, a psychologist at the Max Planck Institute of Human Development, and her colleagues, an even more important skill is critical ignoring.

As the researchers point out, we live in an attention economy where content producers on the Internet compete for our attention. They attract us with a lot of emotional and eye-catching stories while providing little useful information, so they can expose us to profit-generating advertisements. Therefore,we are no longer customers but products, and each link we click is a sale of our time and attention. Toprotect ourselves from this, Kozyreva advocates for learning the skill of critical ignoring, in which readers intentionally control their information environment to reduce exposure to false and low-quality information.

According to Kozyreva, critical ignoring comprises three strategies. The first is to design ourenvironments, which involves the removal of low-quality yet hard-to-resist information from around. Successful dieters need to keep unhealthy food out of their homes. Likewise, we need to set up a digital environment where attention-grabbing items are kept out of sight. As with dieting, if one tries to bank onwillpower not to click eye-catching “news”, he’ll surely fail. So, it’s better to just keep them out of sightto begin with.

The next is to evaluate the reliability of information, whose purpose is to protect you from false and misleading information. It can be realized by checking the source in the mainstream news agencies which have their reputations for being trustworthy.

The last goes by the phrase “do not feed the trolls.” Trolls are actors who internationally spread false and hurtful information online to cause harm. It may be appealing to respond to them to set the facts straight, but trolls just care about annoying others rather than facts. So, it’s best not to reward their bad behaviour with our attention.

By sharpening our critical ignoring skills in these ways, we can make the most of the Internet while avoiding falling victim to those who try to control our attention, time, and minds.

9 . There are some sounds most of us acknowledge are annoying — the chewing of chips, the low noise of air conditioning or a screaming baby. These noises, for many people, act as a mere inconvenience that can distract them from the task at hand. However, there are some amongst us who have a much more severe response to these noises. Has a noise ever made you feel so angry that you could explode with rage? If the answer is yes, you may be suffering from misophonia (恐音症).

The word “misophonia” literally means “a hatred of sound” and is sometimes called Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome. There are some experts who doubt the existence of the condition. However, for those who claim to suffer from it, the experience can be painful. Certain sounds could set off intense emotional or psychological responses that may seem over the top compared with a non-sufferer’s complaints.

The sound of people chewing their food could trigger sufferers’ anxiety, or make them feel panic. It may even activate their fight-or-flight response, making them want to run away. In extreme cases, that feeling of panic may result in intense anger and even end up expressing rage physically.

Sadly, there’s no known cure. But tinnitus retraining therapy, cognitive (认知的) behavioural therapy and counselling could help sufferers tolerate noises and manage the condition. According to James Cartreine, a clinical psychiatrist, the condition can lead to separation. Sufferers use coping strategies that include avoiding places with lots of noises, like restaurants, or moving away when they feel like raging against someone due to their breathing.

So, the next time you see someone fly into a rage because of a sound that is driving them crazy, it may be due to a difficult condition they are trying to manage, and not just because they hate a certain sound.

“Military-style” travel has become the     1     (late) fashion among Chinese college students. Videos of them taking such trips     2     (trend) on social media platforms in recent years. The reason why it has become so popular is     3     college students can spend as little money as possible traveling to as many places as they can during the weekend. They usually hop on a regular-speed train on a Friday night, arrive at the destination city and travel     4     (extensive) there on Saturday. Then, they can repeat the same busy schedule     5     returning to their universities on Monday morning.

Different people have different views, with some netizens     6     (praise) these college students for their high ability to implement their plans. However, others doubt     7     such a tight schedule is healthy.

According to some experts, the “military-style” travel is a form of budget travel appealing to specific groups of people who are less     8     (concern) with in-depth experiences and more focused on checking off popular tourist destinations. Therefore, this has led to the emergence of a type of tourism     9     travelers are willing to sacrifice comfort for     10     (affordable) and convenience.