The Daily Telegraph

Dangers of life online

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SIR – Your “Duty of Care” campaign (report, June 12) is to be wholeheart­edly supported.

Social media and gaming have grown swiftly, but without considerin­g the needs of children. Some children exhibit symptoms of addiction in relation to gaming; they can be exposed to pornograph­y and cyberbully­ing at very young ages, and many show an obsessive need to remain “connected”.

Children lack the skills to selfregula­te, or to unpick helpful material from material that is damaging. In my clinics I frequently see children for whom gaming or social media can act as one of the triggers for their emotional distress.

As a nation we try to safeguard our children, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is one of the most complete statements of a child’s rights available. It was, however, written prior to the social media and gaming age. It is essential and timely for The Daily Telegraph to campaign for change.

Dr Hayley van Zwanenberg

Priory Child and Adolescent Psychiatri­st Priory Group Associate Medical Director, Priory Wellbeing Centre

Oxford

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