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

Senior British doctors said on Tuesday that social media ranks alongside smoking as a danger to children. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges detailed the impact of social media on children in a submission to the government's consultation on protecting children online, which closes on Tuesday. The body said, "It ranks alongside smoking and wearing seatbelts in cars as a unifying force for the medical profession."

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges represents the UK and Ireland's 23 royal medical colleges and faculties. More than half of the 132 doctors surveyed saw at least one case of health harm that could be related to tech and devices every week, and over a third saw evidence of harm multiple times a week. Harms ranged from physical injuries to mental health impacts.

Britain is consulting on restricting children's access to social media, including a possible ban for under-16s, as well as curfews, app time limits and curbs on what it has described as addictive design features. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall told BBC News, "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." Hundreds of British families are testing social media bans, curfews and app time limits to see how they affect children's sleep, family life and schoolwork.