There was a time when a child’s social world was largely confined to the school, the neighbourhood playground and the family home. Today, much of that world fits inside a smartphone. Friendships are made and maintained through screens; entertainment arrives through endless scrolling; approval is measured in likes, shares and followers. Social media has become an important part of childhood and adolescence ~ but growing evidence suggests that its benefits come with significant psychological and social costs. The question is no longer whether children should use social media.

It is how much, how early and under what safeguards they should use it. Psychologists across the globe are repeatedly warning that children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the pressures created by social media. The American Psychological Association (APA), in its health advisory on adolescent social-media use, does not argue that social media is inherently harmful. It recognises that online platforms can help young people maintain friendships, find communities, express themselves and obtain information. But it also stresses that the impact depends on the child’s developmental stage, individual characteristics, the nature of online activity and the social environment surrounding the child.

Significantly, APA states, “To reduce the risks of psychological harm, adolescents’ exposure to content on social media that depicts illegal or psychologically maladaptive behavior, including content that instructs or encourages youth to engage in health-risk behaviors, such as self-harm (e.g., cutting, suicide), harm to others, or those that encourage eating-disordered behavior (e.g., restrictive eating, purging, excessive exercise) should be minimized, reported, and removed; moreover, technology should not drive users to this content.” This distinction is crucial. A child watching an educational video for twenty minutes is not experiencing social media in the same way as a teenager spending three hours comparing appearance, popularity and lifestyle with carefully curated images of peers and influencers.

Psychologists are especially concerned about social comparison. Children are still developing their identities and self-esteem. Constant exposure to images of apparently perfect........

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