As anyone who has spent any time in the company of children will tell you, play is the language of childhood. It is how children learn about and process the world around them.

Play is so critical to their emotional, intellectual, social and physical development that it is enshrined in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognises a child’s right to play. The Article also obliges governments to introduce any necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to protect this right.

It is a right that currently needs protecting from all sides. Many fear childhood is being steadily eroded by the advent of smartphone use among children, which is impeding on their right to learn and play and to develop at their own pace. It leaves them vulnerable and exposed to multiple risks in the unregulated online world we all now inhabit, but which our young, in particular, are not equipped to deal with, causing negative consequences for their mental health and wellbeing.

As the parent of four children ranging in age from three to 23, I have seen how apps like Snapchat have migrated from filters that gave people cute bunny ears, to embracing a dark underbelly with addictive properties driven by algorithms.

Distressing and damaging content online can include extreme violence, sexually explicit material, and unrealistic portrayals of bodies and lifestyles. Then there is the issue of online bullying, which allows bullies to follow victims around in their pockets and bedrooms.

Two years ago, the Irish Medical........

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