Consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Ganesh Shetty says child guidance clinics are now seeing more children addicted to digital devices than to marijuana. He has sounded an alarm over what he describes as a pattern of “disconnection and misconnection, alienation and addiction” amongst Jamaican youngsters.

“These algorithms are created by behavioural specialists, and they drag you into something more interesting, something more wonderful, so that it will suck you in to addiction. I have more tablet addicts coming to my child guidance clinics than weed addicts nowadays,” Dr Shetty disclosed as he warned minors of the danger courted daily.

There are 23 of these clinics in hospitals and health centres throughout Jamaica, providing mental health and counselling services for clients up to 18 years old. Key services include behavioural assessments, emotional support, and treatment for conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression.