A Study Warns of the Danger of Smartphones to Children

SadaNews - A new study indicates the need for parents to avoid allowing their children under the age of adolescence to use smartphones and social media.

Suicidal Thoughts and Reality Detachment

A recent study published indicates that using smartphones before the age of 13 can harm children's mental health, according to a report published by CNN.

The study, published in the journal Human Development and Capabilities, found that smartphone use among children under 13 years old was associated with suicidal thoughts, poor emotional regulation, low self-esteem, and detachment from reality, especially among girls.

The study also concluded that for every year a child acquires a smartphone before the age of 13, their mental health and psychological wellbeing are likely to be lower.

This is likely because children who used smartphones before the age of 13 had higher rates of social media use, sleep disturbances, cyberbullying, and negative family relationships.

While the data relied on self-reports in a survey that included nearly two million people in 163 countries, the findings were striking enough that researchers called for global restrictions to prevent children under the age of 13 from using smartphones and social media.

Tara Thiagarajan, the lead researcher in the study and a senior scientist at Sapien Labs, a nonprofit organization conducting the survey, stated: "This calls for urgent action to limit access to smartphones for children under 13 years old, in addition to more precise regulation of the digital environment that young people are exposed to."

She added that while previous research focused on how smartphone use is linked to anxiety and depression, this survey examined symptoms that have not been commonly studied, including emotional regulation and self-esteem, which were found to be critically important.

She affirmed that the results indicated that giving children smartphones before the age of thirteen is a bad idea, advising parents in schools, parent groups, and other community forums not to allow children to use social media until the age of sixteen.

Reliable research from the UK has shown that social media use during adolescence is linked to a decrease in life satisfaction a year later.

Parents' Perspective

It is worth noting that social psychologist Jonathan Haidt suggested waiting until the age of sixteen to allow children to use social media in his bestselling book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.

However, it seems almost impossible to wait that long, as parents fear depriving their children of social opportunities if they are not on the platforms.

Therefore, engaging their friends' parents is crucial despite all the warnings and risks.