We must act to free young minds from ubiquitous screens

THE assassination of US political activist Charlie Kirk appeared in the social media feeds of children within minutes of the murder. For many adults, seeing the video was traumatising. What must it be doing to our kids?

- Jennifer Powers

Whether it’s graphic content desensitising youngsters to violence and pornography, or endless image comparisons leading to low self-esteem, anxiety and depression, social media has changed the nature of childhood. Media regulator Ofcom says UK teens spend nearly five hours a day — roughly 34 hours per week — online outside of school.

We know from the Millennium Cohort Study that social media and technology use are linked to poorer mental health. Girls on social media for five hours or more per day have a nearly 40% chance of experiencing clinical depression.

Since children started being given smartphones in the early 2010s, self-harm has risen steeply. Minors are lonelier and less happy. One in five is bullied online, while the National Crime Agency has seen a sixfold increase in reports of online child abuse-related offences in the last two years.

CHILDREN are especially vulnerable to apps’ addictiveness. They hijack reward systems, rewire our brains, send our attention spans plummeting and lower educational attainment. Parents who do their best to limit screen time are increasingly fighting the tyranny of educational tech.