Reacting to the launch of a UK government consultation on whether to ban under-16s from using social media, Dr Clare McNaught, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh said:-
"Given the growing evidence that social media harms children and young peoples' mental and physical health, we welcome the launch of this consultation.
"The consultation posts a range of options, including introducing a social media age limit, stopping technology companies accessing young users’ data and limiting addictive tools such as “infinite scrolling.” It also envisages that every school will be free of mobile phones by default.
"Royal Colleges are now working together to gather evidence for the consultation that illustrates the dangers to health from access to unrestricted content and excessive screen time. Colleges are also aiming to provide guidance to medical professionals over the coming months about how to identify and manage the harm being done to children and young people.
"We look forward to participating in this work and taking the steps necessary to improve public health and safety".