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UK top doctors warn social media poses same threat as smoking to young people, call for routine phone checks
The Academy of Royal Colleges has warned that social media could pose as great a threat to young people's health as smoking. Doctors report treating at least one case per week of children mimicking extreme content found online. Former health secretary Wes Streeting has backed an Australia-type ban for under-16s as government consultation closes tonight.
The UK's most senior doctors have issued a stark warning that social media could pose just as great a threat to young people's health as smoking. The Academy of Royal Colleges is calling for doctors to routinely check how long younger patients spend on their phones during medical consultations.
The warning comes with a grave assessment that there could be a radicalised wave of children who pose a real and potentially catastrophic risk to society. Doctors say much of the content viewed online by young people is extreme, addictive and manipulative, leading to dangerous behavioural changes.
Medical professionals report treating at least one case per week of young people presenting with conditions linked to content they have been mimicking online, including exposure to extreme pornography and extremely violent material. The shift from outdoor play to screen time has fundamentally changed childhood health risks, doctors warn.
Former health secretary Wes Streeting has joined calls for an Australia-type ban on social media for under-16s, describing it as the minimum action that should be taken. His intervention carries additional weight given his recent experience in the role, though critics note he did not advocate as strongly while in office.
The calls come as the government's consultation on growing up in an online world closes at midnight tonight. More than 70,000 people have shared their views so far. Bereaved families of young people who have died linked to the pressures and dangers of online media have been central to the push for stronger regulation.