Social media as bad for children as smoking, British doctors say – CTV
May 26, 2026
Social media ranks alongside smoking as a danger to children, senior British doctors said on Tuesday, as they urged lawmakers to tackle the harm that they say excessive screen time is causing to young people.
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.
“It ranks alongside smoking and wearing seatbelts in cars as a unifying force for the medical profession.”
“There can be few issues which have united clinicians so resoundingly in recent years as the impact that unfettered exposure to tech and devices is currently having on children and young people’s health,” said the body, which represents the UK and Ireland’s 23 royal medical colleges and faculties.
More than half of 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, it said.
