Too much screen time 'can damage children as badly as poverty'

Researchers at the University of Calgary say spending too much time on social media, gaming or streaming can affect young people's wellbeing in similar ways to being poor, born prematurely or having bad parenting.

The study also links excessive screen time to obesity, diabetes and heart problems. Critics say the findings are "not insignificant" but insist that screen time is not the only reason teenagers become emotionally distressed or fail to reach their academic goals. Also: Russian drone strikes Ukraine's National Academy of Science in Kyiv, sparking a huge fire; prosecutors in New York reopen an investigation into an alleged gang rape at Cornell University in 2024; Google Earth's updated satellite imagery shows the scale of destruction in Gaza; a special report on the brutal kidnappings plaguing Nigeria; the backlash over plans to build data centres; and an 11-year-old British girl becomes the youngest chess player in history to earn the woman grandmaster title.

Photo: Social media app icons, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp, displayed on a mobile phone screen

Credit: Yui Mok/PA Wire