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Learning English from the News

Upper intermediate level

Is social media 'the new smoking'?

Episode 260527 / 27 May 2026

(Photo via Getty Images)

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The story

A group of senior doctors in the UK say that time spent on screens and social media harms children. They compared social media to smoking, not because it has the same physical health impacts, but because they believe it’s an important health issue that people need to take seriously.

It is difficult to prove that social media directly causes harm, but it has been linked to problems like anxiety and poor wellbeing in some studies.

Campaigners don’t all agree on whether a total ban on social media apps for children is the best way to keep them safe. Many young people say that social media can also have a positive impact on their life. 

News headlines 

'Overwhelming consensus' that screen time harms children, top doctors say
BBC News

Wes Streeting says Starmer ‘behind the curve’ on under-16s social media ban
The Guardian

Govt: 'Nothing's off the table' on social media ban 
ITN

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Key words and phrases

overwhelming consensus
an opinion that almost everyone in a group agrees with

  • There was an overwhelming consensus among the factory workers that they should be paid extra for working weekends.

behind the curve
slower than other people to change or react

  • The company is behind the curve changing from paper forms to digital ones.

nothing's off the table
everything is still being considered

  • My cousin really doesn’t know what she’ll study at university. Nothing’s off the table.

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