UK Doctors Compare Social Media Harms Affecting Children to Smoking

UK lawmakers are weighing online safety measures for children, including a possible ban on social media use for under-16s, with decisions expected this summer.
UK Doctors Compare Social Media Harms Affecting Children to Smoking
A teenager holds a mobile phone in Sydney on Dec.10, 2025. Hollie Adams/Reuters
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UK senior doctors have warned that the exposure of children to phones and social media is fueling a health and safety crisis, comparing the harms to past public health battles over seatbelt laws and smoking.

A May 26 report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges described concerns among frontline clinicians who said children are increasingly arriving in hospitals with mental health, behavioral, and physical harms linked to online activity.

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Evgenia Filimianova
Evgenia Filimianova
Author
Evgenia Filimianova is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of international stories, with a particular interest in foreign policy, economy, and UK politics.