Famous child actor Archie Yates admits 'throwing life away' with social media addiction

EXCLUSIVE: Famous child actor Archie Yates admits 'throwing life away' with social media addictionAs tech giants Meta and Google are found liable in a landmark social media addiction trial, we meet Archie, who was addicted to social media at 13, using it for nine hours a dayCommentsNewsHannah Britt, Senior Reporter Mirror Features07:00, 08 Apr 2026Home Sweet Home Alone and Jojo Rabbit star Archie Yates opens up about his social media struggles A UK teenager who was spending nine hours a day glued to social media - which included watching content on the manosphere - says he was addicted when he was just 13. His revelation comes within weeks of an unprecedented win for a young woman in Los Angeles, who sued Meta, owner of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp and Google, owner of YouTube, over her childhood addiction to social media. Last month the 20-year-old woman, known as Kayley, was awarded $6 million (£4.5m) and the jury decided the social media giants had intentionally built addictive platforms.‌Meta and Google said they intended to appeal the verdict. But the case has sparked furious debate worldwide, with the NSPCC estimating over 2.5 million UK children are accessing social media despite being beneath the minimum age required. And last week, Ofcom and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) issued a joint statement that online platforms must implement more effective ways to verify users’ ages to prevent under-13s from accessing platforms while beneath minimum age requirements.‌READ MORE: 'I'm not giving my 12 year old son a smartphone as I want to avoid another tragedy'Meanwhile, in the US, parents are sending screen-addicted children - 70% of them boys - to digital detox camps charging $2,000 a week. Dr Emily Crosby, Child and Educational Psychologist says: “Children are particularly at risk of addiction, because they have not yet formed their self identity and look to outside influences to shape and form this."‌View 4 Imag...