The College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka (CCPSL) has revealed that nearly 200 children under the age of 18 in Sri Lanka have committed suicide last year (2024).
CCPSL President, Consultant Community Physician Dr. Kapila Jayaratne, says that the use of social media may be a reason for these suicides.Â
He said this at a press conference held by the Sri Lanka Medical Association yesterday (30).
Dr. Jayaratne points out that this is why policymakers are being informed to bring laws in Sri Lanka to ban or restrict the use of social media by those under the age of 18, as has been done in some countries.Â
It was also revealed during this press conference that around 313,000 women in Sri Lanka become pregnant every year.
Out of these, about 250,000 children are born on average, but not all of them are healthy and the age group for giving birth to fertile children (15-49) is decreasing.
Dr. Jayaratne noted that Sri Lanka’s life expectancy has now increased to 73 years for men and 80 years for women, and as a country, what we should do is not treat people after they get sick, but encourage them to stay away from getting sick.
Dr. Jayaratne also said that 3300 children under the age of 5 in Sri Lanka die every year and about 30% of the children suffer from obesity.
Leave a comment