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Senior medical body warns social media can be as harmful as smoking
Medical leaders say routine screening could help spot harmful use earlier as they urge stronger age checks and design limits for under-16s.
- The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges , representing UK and Ireland's 23 royal medical colleges and faculties, submitted a report equating social media's impact on children's health to smoking and seatbelt safety as a unifying medical concern.
- General Practitioners increasingly attribute digital exposure as a contributory factor in anxiety, self-harm, disordered eating, sleep disturbance and school avoidance among young patients, while doctors warn of a 'wave of radicalised children' from exposure to hateful online content.
- Dr Emily Sehmer warned that social media harms present 'no diagnosis, intervention pathway, or prescribed medication to mitigate,' while Leanda Barrington-Leach, executive director at 5Rights Foundation, argued the problem is 'built into the system itself' through business models prioritising engagement over wellbeing.
- Technology Secretary Liz Kendall pledged new social media measures by year-end, stating government will 'implement the results straight away,' as the public consultation on potential restrictions closes on Tuesday, May 26.
- Potential measures range from Australia-style bans on under-16s to app curfews and design restrictions, while a coalition of 25 child safety organisations demanded systemic reforms including bans on targeted advertising and creation of an independent online safety commissioner.
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14 Articles
14 Articles
The impact of social networks on the lives of children and adolescents continues to raise concerns in several countries. Now, British doctors put the issue on a particularly strong footing: excessive exposure to digital platforms...
·Portugal
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources14
Leaning Left1Leaning Right2Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution40% Center, 40% Right
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources are Center, 40% of the sources lean Right
40% Right
L 20%
C 40%
R 40%
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