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Irish doctors call for a ban on children using mobile phones

by DD Desk

August 28, 2024

children using mobile phones

key takeaways

The European nations that have tightened or planned to tighten limits on cellphones in schools

Irish doctors have urged the government to outlaw "overwhelmingly destructive" cellphones for all kids under the age of sixteen.

Ministers should handle the social media use of young people as a "public health emergency," according to the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO).

Prof Matthew Sadlier, the IMO chairman of the consultants’ committee, said: “Our young people are exposed to a toxic mix of both extraordinarily harmful content and social media platforms that use features such as infinite scroll to promote more user activity, creating a vicious circle of use which ultimately leads to higher levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness and suicidal tendencies.”

The European nations that have tightened or planned to tighten limits on cellphones in schools, including Finland, France, Italy, and the Netherlands, have prompted calls for an absolute ban in Ireland.

In England, the government has advised schools not to allow students to use cell phones in class, and there have long been worries about the negative effects of social media on the mental health of young people.

‘Time to get serious’

The Irish Medical Association is in favour of Norma Foley, the Minister of Education, and Stephen Donnelly, the Minister of Health, proposing a ban on cell phones in schools and smartphones for kids and teenagers.

Since social media became increasingly popular in 2012, according to Prof. Matthew Sadlier, every indication of mental health for teenagers and young people has gotten worse.

He claimed that Ireland could use social media and smartphones to accomplish the same goal of decreasing smoking as it has done in the past in response to significant public health initiatives.

“It is time to get serious with smartphone makers and social media companies,” he told The Irish Times.

“It is not enough to ask parents to shoulder this responsibility alone; the Government can and must intervene in order to level the playing field for all young people.”

Ireland is a popular choice for European headquarters of US computer firms due to its low corporate tax rate. Among them is Instagram's parent company, Meta, the social media behemoth that was once known as Facebook.

In an attempt to combat "hyper-connectivity," France will outright forbid cell phone use in 200 schools. Should the trial be successful, the ban will be extended to the entire nation.

It comes after the results of a study that French President Emmanuel Macron ordered in June and which alerted parents to the risks associated with their children's excessive screen usage, or "hyper-connectivity."

According to the article, In Search of Lost Time, addiction can lead to health issues such as obesity, melancholy, anxiety, insomnia, addiction, cyberbullying, and suicide.