I am a supporter of ‘Health Professionals for Safer Screens’, an organisation that campaigns on the need to address the negative social and health determinants of smartphones and screens.
This week I wrote to the Prime Minister about the impact of social media on young people.
Concern about the impact of social media and the time children spend online has reached a critical point. The average 12 year old now spends 29 hours a week on a smartphone. As a result, we have a generation of children who are anxious, unhappy and increasingly unable to focus on learning. They are missing out on real-life experiences and failing to build the social skills we need for adulthood.
Beyond this, there is a mountain of research that demonstrates that passive screen time damages the development of younger children.
We therefore need to ensure that social media companies follow existing legislation. They have enormous power yet exercise precious little responsibility.
Australia has recently introduced a ban on social media for the under 16s, and we need to learn the lessons from there. While I think that legislation has a role – if nothing else it sets a standard – we need to be realistic. Young people are likely to find creative ways to access existing platforms or explore other, potentially darker sites.
Finally, we should talk to young people directly. My experience is that they are often more aware than adults, and better able to come up with imaginative and viable solutions to the problems they face.
They are the victims in this and we should be listening to them.
