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A study of more than 10,000 12-year-olds found the earlier children acquired smartphones, the greater the risk of obesity, poor sleep, and depression
Nicole Wootton-CaneTuesday 02 December 2025 11:32 GMTComments
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Owning and regularly using a smartphone during your pre-teen years could be linked to a string of mental and physical health problems, new research has suggested.
Deciding when your child can have their first smartphone is a tricky choice faced by many parents. But a new study has shown that children who own the devices at 12 years old are more likely to develop problems with obesity, poor sleep, and depression.
The research conducted by a team at the University of Pennsylvania and published in the journal Pediatrics looked at more than 10,000 12-year-olds, some of whom had their own smartphones and some who did not.
They found those who did own a device by age 12 had a 31 per cent greater risk of depression than their peers who did not have smartphones. The odds of obesity and insufficient sleep were also 40 percent and 62 percent higher, respectively.
Scientists also found the earlier a child acquired their smartphone, the worse their health outcomes in those areas were.
Children who owned a smartphone by age 12 were found to have a 31 per cent greater risk of depression than their peers who did not (Getty/iStock)The team then analysed the data of teens who had been given a smartphone at the age of 13, and found they had a 50 per cent higher chance of reporting insufficient sleep than when they did not own a device at age 12.
"Our findings suggest that we should view smartphones as a significant factor in teen health, approaching the decision to give a child a phone with care and considering potential impacts on their life and health," said lead author Dr Ran Barzilay.
He added the team are not claiming smartphones are bad for teenager’s mental health outright, but that they advocated for a "thoughtful consideration of the health implications, balancing both positive and negative consequences.
“For many teens, smartphones can play a constructive role by strengthening social connections, supporting learning, and providing access to information and resources that promote personal growth,” he said. “Likewise, some families may view a smartphone as a necessity for safety or communication."
It comes after a UK study found teenagers who are unhealthily preoccupied with their smartphones are more likely to be anxious, depressed and suffer insomnia.
Around one in five older teenagers display “problematic smartphone use” and many desperately want help to cut down on their usage, experts from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London found.
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