We are approaching a point where the question is no longer whether social media is harming children, but whether we are willing to act on what we already see.

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From where I stand, the case for banning social media for under-16s is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

At Paracelsus Recovery, we are witnessing a subtle but significant shift. More young people are arriving with concerns about focus and productivity, with many convinced they have ADHD. While ADHD is a very real and serious condition, what is striking is how often these symptoms exist alongside something else: a deep and often unrecognised dependence on social media.

This is where the conversation becomes uncomfortable. We cannot definitively say that social media causes ADHD. But we can say with growing confidence that it is shaping the very capacities ADHD disrupts, including attention and impulse control. These are not fixed traits; rather, they are developed, and increasingly they are developed in environments that undermine them.

Children today are growing up in an attention economy that rewards distraction and constant stimulation. Social media platforms........

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