A global study of more than 100,000 young people has shown that owning a smartphone before age 13 is associated with poorer mind health and wellbeing in early adulthood.
Published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, the study found that 18- to 24-year-olds who had received their first smartphone at age 12 or younger were more likely to report suicidal thoughts, aggression, detachment from reality, poorer emotional regulation, and low self-worth.
The data also shows evidence that these effects of smartphone ownership at an early age are in large part associated with early social media access and higher risks of cyberbullying, disrupted sleep, and poor family relationships by adulthood.
A team of experts from Sapien Labs, which hosts the world’s largest database on mental wellbeing, the Global Mind Project, where the data for this research was pooled from, are calling for urgent action to protect the mind health of future generations.
“Our data indicate that early smartphone ownership, and the social media access it often brings, is linked with a profound shift in mind health and wellbeing in early adulthood,” said lead author neuroscientist Dr. Tara Thiagarajan, who is the founder and Chief Scientist of Sapien Labs.
Image Credits: Kampus Production@Pexels | Cropped by GBN
These correlations are mediated through several factors, including social media access, cyberbullying, disrupted sleep, and poor family relationships leading to symptoms in adulthood that are not the traditional mental health symptoms of depression and anxiety and can be missed by studies using standard screeners. These symptoms of increased aggression, detachment from reality and suicidal thoughts can have significant societal consequences as their rates grow in younger generations.
“Based on these findings, and with the age of first smartphones now well under age 13 across the world, we urge policymakers to adopt a precautionary approach, similar to regulations on alcohol and tobacco, by restricting smartphone access for under 13s, mandating digital literacy education and enforcing corporate accountability,” Dr. Thiagarajan.
Since the early 2000s, smartphones have reshaped how young people connect, learn and form identities. But alongside these opportunities come growing concerns over how AI-driven social media algorithms may amplify harmful content and encourage social comparison, while also impacting on other activities such as face-to-face interaction and sleep.
Although many social media platforms set a minimum user age of 13, enforcement is inconsistent. Meanwhile, the average age of first smartphone ownership continues to fall, with many children spending hours a day on their devices.
