00:00Europe looks at banning social media for teens and it's girls who are most impacted.
00:08The UK has announced plans to ban social media for under-16s.
00:13The move comes amid growing concern about the impact of social media on young people,
00:18from reports of cyberbullying, addictive platform features, and even cases of suicide and self-harm.
00:23The latest WHO study suggests that those concerns are growing.
00:27It found that problematic social media use rose among adolescents from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022.
00:35But this problem is not evenly spread across Europe.
00:38Among 15-year-olds, Romania recorded some of the highest levels of problematic social media use,
00:43with 23% of teenagers affected.
00:46Ireland followed at 19%, while Malta stood at 18.5%.
00:49At the other end of the scale, the Netherlands recorded just 5%,
00:53while Denmark and Estonia were also among the lowest.
00:56The issue is particularly pronounced among teenage girls.
00:59Across all countries surveyed, 13% of girls reported problematic social media use,
01:04compared to 9% of boys.
01:06Support for restrictions in Europe is high,
01:09with countries such as Spain, France, and Austria all discussing plans to curb children's access to apps.
01:15But while support for restrictions is high, research hasn't quite caught up.
01:19That's because Australia only introduced its under-16 ban last year,
01:23and few countries have had such bans long enough for researchers to assess their long-term impact on young people's
01:29well-being.
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