24/11/2025
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17mpcqR7LV/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Giving a child a smartphone before age 13 increases the risk of mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts, due to disruption in critical developmental tasks, increased exposure to cyberbullying and negative social comparison, sleep deprivation, and impaired emotional regulation.
Early access can lead to social withdrawal, a sedentary lifestyle, and a sense of low self-worth, with girls being particularly vulnerable to lower emotional resilience and boys experiencing feelings of instability and lower empathy.
To elaborate, early smartphone use disrupts critical developmental tasks by impairing social-emotional growth, hindering cognitive development and negatively impacting mental and physical health. Early smartphone use can lead to underdeveloped communication skills, difficulty with emotional regulation and social cues, reduced attention spans, and lower self-worth.
Also, giving a child a smartphone before age 13 can cause sleep deprivation through several mechanisms: the blue light emitted by screens interferes with the body’s natural sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin; the stimulating or distressing content can keep their brains alert and increase heart rates, making it harder to relax; and time displacement occurs as children use screens instead of sleeping, leading to a delayed bedtime.
It is smart to wait until after your child reaches age 13 to gift them a phone and set clear boundaries and expectations with the phone. Also, do not be afraid to talk to them about the real risks involved with internet use. The internet is not a safe space unfortunately and young children are the most vulnerable.
PMID: 35705765
