Authors of a major report that destroyed norms of “care” for transgender children say the UK is conducting a “deliberate social experiment” by allowing minors to use smartphones for several hours a day. I warned you.
Dr Hilary Cass warned of the potential negative effects of screen time on children and suggested the UK should consider following Australia's lead in banning social media for under-16s.
Baroness Cass, of Barnet, who was given a seat in the House of Lords earlier this year in recognition of her work in transgender treatment for children, said in her maiden speech last month that children's smartphone use is linked to the development of anxiety and depression. It warned that it was associated with an increase in It's especially insomniac for people who already have mental health issues or who face bullying at school.
“Everyone in this House knows that children are different from adults, just smaller. They are in a dynamic state of physical, personal and emotional development,” she said. I did. said around the times of london.
“If you imagine a deliberate social experiment in which we expose children to several hours a day of screen time containing potentially harmful content, some negative impact is certainly inevitable. And we believe that I went.”
talk to the house This week's magazine, Baroness Cass added: “We have to find better ways to protect our children and young people… but I think we need to really get creative and think of a variety of ways.”
“Many schools are doing the right thing and have very good policies in place. [on phone use]However, there are still problems with our statistics. So I don't think that's enough. ”
Dr Cass was a relatively unknown paediatrician for most of her career, but this year her nearly 400-page review of the NHS's 'treatments' for children she claimed were confused was published. and became the subject of international debate. their gender.
The review undermines key pillars of the transgenderism movement, particularly as the justification for the provision of “gender-affirming care” such as administering puberty-blocking drugs to children rests on “shaky foundations”. It was revealed that it was built on She said there is little evidence that such practices benefit patients' “mental or psychosocial health”, while long-term “cognitive and psychosexual development” is largely unknown. discovered.
The report also claimed that many doctors in the UK are “afraid” to oppose new treatments as a result of the “toxicity” of the gender debate. This toxicity affected Cass himself after the publication of his landmark report. said Security guards reportedly advised her not to use public transportation due to concerns for her safety.
“The most difficult thing about this is that people don't feel like they can just hear what they want to hear. They can't talk about it. When you talk about it, someone says, 'Well, you're transphobic. ” he says. “In medicine, when there are topics we can't talk about, it's very dangerous for patients and for clinical research,” Baroness Cass said this week.
Mr Cass' warning about children's screen time comes as Australia plans to ban social media for children under 16. TikTok, Facebook and Instagram will be required to block minors from using their platforms and faces under a new law that won't take effect until next year. fine Up to A$49.5 million ($32 million).
The British government is said Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said in September that a similar ban was “being considered” in the UK given the “substantial evidence that social media is harming vulnerable people”, and that he would consider the Australian model “very carefully”. ” He said he would consider it. Young people.”
