New Delhi, May 21 -- The US Surgeon General has issued a detailed advisory warning that excessive and harmful screen use among children and adolescents has become a major public health concern. In today's digital environment, children are growing up surrounded by screens-from smartphones and tablets to gaming devices and televisions-with exposure often beginning before the age of one.

By adolescence, many young people spend more time on screens than sleeping or attending school. The advisory highlights that while digital tools offer educational and social benefits, uncontrolled or compulsive use-especially of social media-can pose serious risks to physical, mental, emotional, and developmental health.

The advisory defines harmful screen...