WHO expert calls for tobacco-like regulations on teen smartphone use

Countries should consider regulating digital devices like smartphones in a similar way to tobacco products, to combat social media's rising negative impact on young people's mental health, an official at the World Health Organization said (Source: “Control smartphones like tobacco, says leading WHO expert,” Politico, Oct. 2).
 
With increasing evidence that problematic gaming and social media behavior is on the rise among adolescents, countries should take inspiration from other areas of public health where legislation has helped address potentially damaging habits — such as tobacco laws, the World Health Organization’s Natasha Azzopardi Muscat said.
 
Measures including age limits, controlled prices and even no-go zones worked for regulating tobacco, so they could be taken as an example for how to curb damaging use of handheld devices like smartphones.