United Kingdom, May 26 -- Senior doctors in the UK have declared an "overwhelming consensus" that screen time harms children.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has responded to a government consultation on social media use for under-16s, and it has suggested doctors should make sure to routinely ask younger patients about their online habits.

Academy Chair Jeanette Dickson has compared the situation to changing smoking or seatbelt advice over the years, despite no consensus on the issue from the wider scientific community regarding the impact of screen time overall.

She warned: "We need to call this out unflinchingly rather than passively wait for someone else to prove causation."

The Academy acknowledged that there is little caus...