Social media as bad for children as smoking, British doctors say

London — Social media poses a level of risk to children comparable to smoking, senior British doctors warned on Tuesday, calling on lawmakers to take stronger action against the harms of excessive screen time on young people.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said in a submission to the government’s consultation on online child safety that the effects of social media on children have become a major concern across the medical community. The consultation closes on Tuesday.

“It ranks alongside smoking and wearing seatbelts in cars as a unifying force for the medical profession,” the group said.

It added that “there can be few issues which have united clinicians so resoundingly in recent years” as concerns over the impact of unrestricted access to digital devices on the health of children and adolescents.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which represents the United Kingdom and Ireland’s 23 royal medical colleges and faculties, cited survey findings showing widespread concern among doctors. More than half of 132 doctors surveyed reported seeing at least one case of technology-related health harm each week, while more than a third reported such cases multiple times weekly.

According to the group, the harms include physical injuries linked to imitating dangerous online content, including acts associated with extreme pornography, as well as psychological effects such as trauma from exposure to violent material online.

The British government is currently considering measures to restrict children’s access to social media, including a potential ban for users under 16, along with curfews, app time limits, and restrictions on features considered addictive.

Australia last year became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, while several European nations are reviewing similar proposals.

Under existing rules, Britain’s Online Safety Act requires platforms to take steps to protect children from illegal and harmful content, though officials have signaled plans to strengthen these protections further.

“The question isn’t whether we are going to act; we will, whether that is a ban on social media for the under-16s or restrictions on key features and functions,” Technology Secretary Liz Kendall told BBC News.

Meanwhile, hundreds of families across Britain are participating in trials of social media bans, curfews, and app limits to assess their impact on sleep, education, and family life.

Experts remain divided on whether a full ban would be effective, and some young people in London have told Reuters they oppose stricter restrictions. -Reporting by Paul Sandle/Reuters