It’s easier than ever for children to gamble from their smartphones and laptops, and as a Guardian Australia investigation has found, children as young as 10 are getting hooked.

Children and teenagers are less cognitively mature than adults, less able to assess risk, and more susceptible to perceiving ads as entertaining – especially when the advertising is endorsed by celebrities and influencers.

High schools are grappling with children betting on apps and laptops when they should be socialising or learning, and it has been described in the medical literature as “a neglected and worsening public health issue”. Young people addicted to gambling are entering adulthood depressed, anxious, unable to concentrate, and dealing with relationship issues and debt.