A new report has revealed that social media is “as dangerous as smoking” for the health of young people.
The British government’s “Growing Up in the Online World” consultation concluded on Tuesday. The consultation considered measures such as an Australia style social media ban for underage users, limiting app usage hours and restrictions on addictive features.
In the report submitted during the consultation, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges warned that doctors are witnessing a generation being pushed towards extremism under the influence of hateful, mentally destructive and highly addictive online content.
According to a survey conducted on 454 doctors by the academy, nearly half of the doctors had treated at least one child every week whose mental distress or physical injury was directly linked to online content.
