UK Medical Colleges Urge Social Media Restrictions for Under-16s

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges submitted a report to a government consultation on social media access for children under 16. The report states that children are continuously exposed to hateful, addictive and grossly distressing content and calls for doctors to routinely screen for related harms.

The document ranks social media and smartphone use alongside smoking and seatbelt laws as issues that unify the medical profession. It describes cases in which children joined suicide pacts, replicated acts of extreme pornography, or engaged in self-harm after viewing online material.

A survey of 454 doctors found that half treated at least one child per week whose mental distress or physical harm was linked to online content. Reported cases included a child who joined a virtual suicide pact, another who followed TikTok videos on overdosing, and a ten-year-old who killed family pets after exposure to gore and murder content.

The Academy called for the government to impose new restrictions on companies. It stated that the harm to children is immediate, documented, and occurring at scale.

The consultation closes on Tuesday.

Downing Street sources said the prime minister is open-minded about an Australia-style ban and will await the consultation outcome before deciding. A decision is expected before the Makerfield by-election on June 18. More than 70,000 people and organisations responded to the consultation. The Department for Science, Technology and Innovation is expected to issue a response within weeks.