Doctors Warn of Children’s Addiction to Smartphones

The Pediatrics Association in Spain has warned from the growing addiction to smartphones among young students. (AFP)
The Pediatrics Association in Spain has warned from the growing addiction to smartphones among young students. (AFP)
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Doctors Warn of Children’s Addiction to Smartphones

The Pediatrics Association in Spain has warned from the growing addiction to smartphones among young students. (AFP)
The Pediatrics Association in Spain has warned from the growing addiction to smartphones among young students. (AFP)

The Pediatrics Association in Spain has warned from the growing addiction to smartphones among young students.

These cases, although relatively new, are very serious, because mobile addiction that starts at an early age may lead to poor academic performance, skipping class, sleep disturbances, and in more serious cases, to mental problems that leads to suicide.

Dr. Fernando Garcia Sala, president of the Pediatric Association, warned that children’s addiction on mobile phones makes them prone to obesity, and eventually more prone to heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

"Complex mental illnesses among young people are growing, so a cooperation between psychiatrists and specialists is highly required to address them," he added.

He stressed the need to solve addiction problems before they become severe.

He saw that school and the family must play an important role in this matter, by limiting mobile phones usage since childhood, before children become a hard-to-cure addict.

"You can’t stop your son from using his mobile phone when he is 15 years old, obviously because you have allowed him to use it since he was nine years old."

He advised parents to spend more family time with their children and to provide a quiet atmosphere before bedtime for them to avoid sleep disturbances. Children must be completely relaxed when they go to bed.



Smoke From Canadian Fires Reaches Europe, Says EU Climate Monitor

 This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)
This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)
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Smoke From Canadian Fires Reaches Europe, Says EU Climate Monitor

 This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)
This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)

Heavy smoke from intense wildfires in Canada has reached northwestern Europe, the European Union's climate monitoring service said on Tuesday.

The huge plumes are at very high altitude and do not pose an immediate health risk, it said in a statement.

"Smoke originating from the wildfires in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan has been transported across the Atlantic," the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) said.

Satellites tracked the smoke in mid-May, with some plumes reaching as far east as Greece and the eastern Mediterranean.

"A second, much larger, smoke plume crossed the Atlantic during the last week of May, reaching northwestern parts of Europe on June 1," CAMS said.

Additional plumes are expected to shade the continent in the coming days.

Wildfire smoke is comprised of gaseous pollutants such as carbon monoxide, along with water vapor and particle pollution, which can be particularly hazardous to health.

A high concentration of carbon monoxide is expected to pass over northwestern France, including the Paris Basin, on Tuesday.

The high-altitude smoke headed for Europe is not expected to have a significant impact on surface air quality, but is likely to result in hazy skies and reddish-orange sunsets.

Manitoba in central Canada is experiencing its worst start to the fire season in years due to drought, and Saskatchewan to the west declared a state of emergency at the end of May, evacuating thousands of residents.

"Central regions of Canada have experienced a very intense few weeks in terms of wildfire emissions," said Mark Parrington, scientific director at CAMS.

Canadian authorities have forecast a more intense fire season than usual this summer in central and western Canada, due in particular to severe or extreme drought.

Elsewhere, extensive forest fires have been raging in Russia's Far Eastern Federal District since early April, particularly east of Lake Baikal, generating carbon emissions of around 35 million tons, Copernicus reported.