Dec 08, 2025 12:30:00

Having a smartphone before age 12 may worsen children's obesity, depression, and sleep deprivation

While it's not uncommon for elementary school-aged children to own smartphones these days, concerns have arisen that smartphone use may have a negative impact on adolescents' physical and mental health. A new study of more than 10,000 children found that owning a smartphone at age 12 is associated with an increased risk of obesity, depression, and poor sleep.

Smartphone Ownership, Age of Smartphone Acquisition, and Health Outcomes in Early Adolescence | Pediatrics | American Academy of Pediatrics

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/doi/10.1542/peds.2025-072941/205716/Smartphone-Ownership-Age-of-Smartphone-Acquisition

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Study Links Smartphone Ownership in Childhood to Increased Risk of Depression and Obesity in Youth | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
https://www.chop.edu/news/childrens-hospital-philadelphia-study-links-smartphone-ownership-childhood-increased-risk

Owning a Smartphone at Age 12 Is Linked to These Health Issues in Kids : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/owning-a-smartphone-at-age-12-is-linked-to-these-health-issues-in-kids

For today's children, smartphones are not just toys, but are an essential part of daily life, allowing them to keep in touch with friends and do research. However, concerns about the negative effects of smartphones on children have led parents to make difficult decisions about when to buy a smartphone for their children.

A new study by researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of California, Berkeley, and other institutions examined the relationship between smartphone ownership during early adolescence and health outcomes. The study used data collected from 10,588 adolescents who participated in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, conducted nationwide from 2018 to 2021.

The data included smartphone ownership at age 12 and the presence or absence of health problems such as obesity, depression, and sleep deprivation. The study also looked at how children who did not have smartphones at age 12 were affected by their health problems depending on whether they owned a smartphone at age 13.

After analyzing the data and taking into account variables such as demographics and socioeconomic status, the researchers found that at age 12, approximately 6.5% of children who owned smartphones had been diagnosed with depression, compared with approximately 4.5% of children without smartphones. This may seem like a small difference, but it is statistically significant.

Additionally, approximately 18% of children who owned smartphones at age 12 were obese, compared with only 12% of children without smartphones. The prevalence of sleep deprivation, defined as getting less than nine hours of sleep per night, was approximately 47% among 12-year-olds with smartphones, compared with approximately 31% among those without smartphones.

Children who did not have a smartphone at age 12 but acquired one by age 13 were more likely to report mental health problems, including depression, and poor sleep than children without a smartphone. However, there was no significant change in obesity risk in the year after owning a smartphone.

While these findings suggest that early smartphone ownership can have negative effects on children's physical and mental health, for many young people smartphones also offer benefits such as strengthening social connections, supporting learning, and providing access to information that fosters development.

'We're not arguing that smartphones are harmful to the health of all adolescents,' said lead author Dr.

Ran Barzilay of the Center for Youth Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Research at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 'Rather, we advocate for careful consideration of the health effects and weighing both the positive and negative effects.'

In future studies, the research team aims to investigate specific aspects of smartphone use, such as the types of apps and usage patterns associated with adverse health outcomes. They also plan to study children who acquire smartphones at an earlier age to understand which young people are more susceptible to adverse health outcomes and which may benefit from smartphone use.

'It's really important that young people have time to get away from their phones and engage in physical activity, which will help prevent obesity and improve their mental health in the long run,' Barzilay said.