Social media ban: saving kids or punishing them? | Letters

Dr Rory Conn says the ban is long overdue to protect children from harm, but 16-year-old Clara O‘Grady says social media is not an isolated section of teenagers’ lives that can easily be removed. Plus letters from Dr Peter Jarrett and Tony Side

This week marks a positive moment for public health and for the wellbeing of children and adolescents. Hearing Keir Starmer’s announcement proposing a ban on social media for under-16s, I felt an optimism I have not experienced for years regarding the mental health of young people in the UK (Social media firms hit back as Starmer announces ban for under-16s in UK, 15 June).

As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, I have spent over a decade witnessing the impact of online exposure on those I meet in clinic. The harms extend far beyond the visible issues of self-harm, suicidality and eating disorders. They include pervasive bullying, the normalisation of misogyny and racism, and the quiet erosion of time, attention and self-worth through endless, valueless scrolling. Increasingly, children turn to artificial substitutes for connection – chatbots and curated feeds – in an online environment that often fosters hostility rather than support.