Grown-ups should grow up

BARONESS GREENFIELD , the eminent neuroscientist, warns that social media and video games are making children regress to the mentality of three-year-olds.

She says they are losing the ability to think for themselves, communicate properly and to empathise with others as they are bombarded with ‘instant gratification’ online. Like toddlers, they need ‘ something new every moment to distract them ’, she says. What’s even more worrying is that social media has the same effect on many adults, too. Once online, they adopt the mindset of a petulant child — name-calling, bullying and taking offence at every perceived slight.

They seem utterly incapable of appreciating that other people may have views that are different from their own. It’s a case of ‘agree with me orI’ll shout you down until you do!’ It’s worse than the school playground.