Smartphones and children: teenage mental health is suffering

Goodyear and colleagues argue that smartphone and social media regulation must go beyond bans.1 As a GP, I have noticed that mental health consultations with teenagers are on the rise. Depression, lack of meaning, and body dissatisfaction are the main topics of discussion. Female teenagers’ mental health has plummeted, with hospital admissions for self-harm and suicidality rising 112.8% between 2012-23 and 2021-22 in girls aged 11-15 years.2 Teenage girls with a screen time of more than five hours a day …