UK top doctors warn: social media as dangerous as smoking for children

Leading medical experts in the United Kingdom are calling on the government to take urgent action against excessive screen time among young people. Doctors say unrestricted smartphone use has become a serious public health crisis, posing the same level of risk to children as smoking.

Britain's most senior medical professionals have issued a stark warning, urging the UK government to take swift and decisive action to protect young people from the devastating effects of excessive screen time. In their assessment, unlimited access to smartphones and social media has escalated into a genuine public health emergency.

The doctors draw a direct comparison between unrestricted device use and tobacco, arguing that the risks to children's health and development are of comparable severity. The analogy is deliberate — smoking was once treated as a personal choice before governments intervened with sweeping restrictions, and experts are now calling for a similarly bold response to social media.

The call to action reflects growing concern among health professionals about rising rates of anxiety, depression, and developmental issues among children and teenagers, which many link to heavy social media use. Experts argue that voluntary measures and parental guidance alone are insufficient, and that systemic, government-led intervention is now essential to address the scale of the problem.