From social media and online gaming to generative AI systems, digital environments are powerful determinants of people's health. That is especially true of children and young people. Around the world, childhood is being reprogrammed by digital technologies that shape how young people learn, play, and connect.
Our task is not to celebrate or condemn technology. It is to face a simple truth: our digital environment not only promises far-reaching benefits but also poses grave risks for children's health and development. Our responsibility is to maximise the first while preventing the second. It is not too late to act, but it is too late for merely incremental adjustments.
