Miguel Ángel Martínez, Professor of Public Health: "It is time for governments to act against the addiction of adolescents to screens and cell phones".
The first session of the series "The science of the human brain: evolution, health and challenges of the XXI Century", organized by the Science Museum of the University of Navarra, brought together more than 80 people at the Civivox of Iturrama.
07 | 11 | 2025
Children under 18 spend 94 minutes a day on TikTok. Addiction to social networks, screens and cell phones has become a public health problem. Miguel Ángel Martínez, professor at the University of Navarra, has given this Thursday, in the Civivox of Iturrama, the conference "Smartphones are weapons of distraction.Smartphones are weapons of mass distraction".
Dr. Martínez pointed out that we are facing a public health problem because new neurons are not created during adolescence, but are rewired, and the use of these devices produces a harmful effect related to "neuronal pruning" and myelination at a critical stage of life. Martínez said that both social networks and cell phones are not suitable for minors, because a brain in formation does not have sufficient neurological resources to compete against the algorithms behind these technologies, designed by psychologists and engineers.
Based on scientific studies and official reports, the professor has been showing the main consequences suffered by children and adolescents, derived from an excessive use of these technologies, such as mental health problems, pornography, cyberbullying, bullying, sleep and eating disorders, lack of concentration on important tasks, and loss of intelligence, among others. "Screens impact the mental health and emotional well-being of young people. It is time for governments to act," he said.
Miguel Ángel Martínez also appealed to individual and collective courage not to be carried away by the current and put a stop to the excessive use of these technologies: "We have no power, but we are right". Along these lines, he suggested some possible solutions that can serve as tools for families to control the use of these devices by young people: gaining moral authority by setting an example; sincerity and naturalness to talk about topics such as sexuality; counting the time spent using screens; parental controls; responsible use of wifi in common areas; digital curfew in homes; establishing a parking lot for mobile devices; removing all notifications; days and outdoor activity without the use of mobile devices; establishing alliances with other parents who are in the same situation; and not giving cell phones until 18 years of age.
This Thursday more than 80 people attended the lecture by Miguel Ángel Martínez organized by the Science Museum of the University of Navarra in collaboration with the Caja Navarra Foundation.
In November, the Museum has brought together experts in public health, neuroscience, chemistry and genetics to analyze the brain from different perspectives. The next session of this series will be on Thursday, November 13. It will be the turn of Mar Cuadrado, Professor of Pathology, Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Navarra, who will speak on "The challenge of protecting the brain: therapeutic alternatives.The challenge of protecting the brain: therapeutic alternatives in development.". The rest of the sessions of the series (November 13, 20 and 27) can be consulted on the Science Museum's web page.