The temptation to solve the social media problem as it pertains to our children with a simple ban is understandable. That matters, because the Irish debate is beginning to mature in a useful direction: Away from a moral panic about screens, and towards a public health understanding of what these platforms do, how they are designed, and where responsibility truly lies. It's a public health issueIf we frame social media as a public health issue, we can stop pretending there is a single switch to be flipped. Public health interventions are layered. Social media driving eating disordersOne of the most urgent and under-discussed links is between social media and eating disorders.

Source: Irish Examiner February 06, 2026 06:29 UTC