Social media is, alongside smoking, a danger to children, British doctors said Tuesday, urging lawmakers to tackle the harm they say excessive screen time is causing to young people.
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has detailed the impact of social media on children in a submission to the government’s consultation on protecting children online, which ends on Tuesday.
“It is, alongside smoking and wearing seat belts in cars, a unifying force for the medical profession.”
“There are few issues that have united clinicians as resoundingly in recent years as the impact that unrestricted exposure to technology and devices is currently having on the health of children and young people,” said the body, which represents the 23 royal colleges and faculties of medicine in the UK and Ireland.
More than half of the 132 doctors surveyed saw at least one case of health harm that could be linked to technology and devices each week, and more than a third saw evidence of health harm multiple times per week, the report said.
Harms ranged from physical injuries, for example caused by reproducing acts of extreme pornography, to mental health impacts, such as trauma caused by viewing violence online.
Britain is consulting on restricting children’s access to social media, including a possible ban for those under 16, as well as curfews, limits on how long apps can be used and restrictions on what it described as addictive design features.
Australia last year became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, with European countries considering similar measures.
The UK’s Online Safety Act requires social media companies to take steps to protect children from illegal and harmful content online, but the government has pledged to go further.
“The question is not whether we will act; we will, whether it’s a ban on social media for under-16s or restrictions on key features and functions,” Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said. BBC News.
Hundreds of British families are testing social media bans, curfews and app usage time limits to see their impact on children’s sleep, family life and school work.
Experts are divided on the effectiveness of a total ban, while a group of young people in London recently said Reuters they were opposed to restrictions.
