Years from now we will look back on the days when children were given virtually unregulated access to the internet with complete disbelief. A leading addiction experts has warned that more young people than ever are becoming hooked on screens – spending every waking hour scrolling social media or gaming.

Tony Marini won’t be telling many parents anything they don’t know already – that children along with the rest of us are spending way too much of their lives glued to devices specifically designed to hold their attention for as long as possible. But what may be surprising is the long- term consequence of that which Marini has warned about.

He believes phones and screens are leading children on to even more dangerous addiction to drugs, gambling and alcohol. The senior therapist has told how he is seeing an alarming numbers of youngsters who have been addicted to games and social media at a young age becoming isolated from family and friends.

They have then been more susceptible to becoming “cross addicted” to other things later in life. It is just another way in which technology which makes our lives easier can also be extremely dangerous. Social media is awash with violence, porn and extremist ideologies. Any notion of these sites regulating themselves from their Californian headquarters seems unlikely now that Donald Trump and his increasingly sinister unelected tech bro Elon Musk are in control seem remote.

Last month John Swinney said he would consider a social media ban for under 16s after Australia became the first country in the world to do so. Whether or not that is feasible or the right course of action remains to be seen but the First Minister is right to recognise the dangers to children and that the status quo can’t continue.

Young people deserve better than an unregulated digital wild west which could be acting as a gateway to life-destroying addiction.

Big rivals for champ Littler

Luke Littler earned an army of new fans when he became the youngest ever PDC World Champion at the age of just 17 on Friday, winning £500,000. But holding onto the trophy isn’t going to be easy if Scottish pals Kyle Davidson, 13, and Mitchell Lawrie, 14, have anything to do with it. They have already beat the older teenager in a team competition and are planning to emulate his success in order to retire before their 18th birthdays.

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