Social media as bad for young people as smoking, top doctors say

Source: BBC Technology

Overview

Social media use ranks with smoking as a threat to the health of young people, according to the UK’s most senior doctors. In a submission to a government consultation on social media use for under‑16s, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges says doctors should routinely check on screen time and social media use when seeing younger patients.

There is no consensus among the broader scientific community that screen time overall is harmful to children.

Government consultation and proposals

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has said new measures on social media for under‑16s will be introduced by the end of the year, as the consultation closes. Options being considered include:

• Banning social media for children (as has happened in Australia)
• App curfews and stronger age checks
• Night‑time curfews or disabling features such as auto‑play and infinite scroll

Kendall told the BBC, “The question isn’t whether we’re going to act – we will.” She added that the government wants to hear “all views” before finalising the response, which is due in the summer.

“We’ve got to get this right, and we’ve got to make it last,” Kendall said.

The consultation has also asked for opinions on children’s access to AI chat‑bots and whether enforcement of age checks should be strengthened.

Views from the medical community

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges’ submission highlights physical and mental health problems linked to extreme online content. It calls for:

• Guidance for doctors and health staff on spotting inappropriate or unhealthy social‑media use
• Recording potential harms to fill data gaps on the scale of the problem

Campaigners and families

Bereaved families, such as Ellen Roome, whose son Jools died at 14 in 2022, plan to meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to urge a swift raise of the age limit for harmful platforms to 16.

“Social media is a product, and like any other faulty product causing the deaths of children, it should be restricted until the companies responsible have fixed it and proven it is safe,” Ellen said.

Lord Nash, former Conservative education minister, urged the government to deliver on its commitment to introduce age or functionality restrictions for under‑16s as quickly as possible.

Other campaigners argue that bans could backfire. Ian Russell, chair of the online‑safety charity the Molly Rose Foundation, has said the government should enforce existing laws rather than adopt “sledgehammer techniques like bans” (source).

An open letter signed by child‑safety charities calls for tech firms to align with the British Board of Film Classification, applying the same high standards used for film age ratings to protect teens.

Potential restrictions and tech responses

Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has indicated it wants age verification handled at the device level, blocking under‑age children from downloading certain apps.

Kendall affirmed she will act even if big tech pushes back:

“No one’s going to stop me from doing what I think is right for this country.”