A new study in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities has confirmed what many parents, educators, and mental health professionals have long suspected: giving children smartphones too early can have lasting consequences. The research, which surveyed over 100,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, found that the earlier a child was given a smartphone, the worse their mental health outcomes were later in life.
The symptoms range from aggression and emotional detachment to hallucinations and suicidal thoughts—with some of the most alarming statistics showing that nearly half of the girls who received smartphones at age 5 or 6 later reported severe suicidal ideation.
As a Communication Professor and longtime mentor to young people, this doesn’t surprise me. In fact, it deeply resonates with what I see in my classroom: young people addicted to screens, losing touch with themselves and each other. Many of my students exhibit signs of overstimulation, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, and a startling lack of eye contact or verbal confidence.
We often think about technology as a tool—but for too many children, it becomes a mirror, warping their self-image and shaping their perception of worth through likes, filters, and algorithm-driven dopamine hits. And when those affirmations stop coming? The crash is steep and lonely.
📱 The Danger Is Real—Especially for Girls and Boys Differently
The study notes that both boys and girls are affected, but in different ways:
- Girls: reported lower self-image, lower emotional resilience, and lower confidence.
- Boys: felt less stable, less calm, and less empathetic.
This isn’t just about “screen time.” This is about developmental interference during critical years of emotional, social, and identity formation.
🚨 What’s Causing the Harm?
The usual suspects:
- Cyberbullying
- Unfiltered exposure to adult content and toxic messaging
- Poor sleep patterns
- Isolation from family relationships and real-world play
But most of all? A loss of authentic human connection.
🧠From a Professor’s Viewpoint: We’re Raising Screen Addicts
In many of my courses, especially in Intro to Communication, I’ve noticed how uncomfortable many students have become with real-life interaction. Many can write a brilliant paper but struggle to hold a five-minute conversation without glancing at their phone. I’ve started doing more activities with pen and paper. More face-to-face dialogue. More storytelling. And it’s working. Slowly.
We don’t just need digital literacy. We need emotional and communication literacy—skills that can only be developed with and through other people.
🛑 So What Do We Do?
- Delay smartphone ownership: Wait until at least 14, as the study suggests—and longer for social media.
- Teach digital discernment: Walk your child through how to spot manipulation, misinformation, and predatory content.
- Model healthy tech habits: If you’re always on your phone, your child will be too.
- Encourage offline time: Family meals, pen-pal programs, board games, real-world conversations.
- Rebuild classroom culture: Professors, let’s innovate our pedagogy. Let’s make human connection a priority again.
🧠The Bigger Picture: Culture, Not Just Policy
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has called for norms—guidelines to reset our culture. No smartphones before high school. No social media before age 16. Schools as phone-free zones.
But norms start at home. In classrooms. In dinner tables and mentorship programs. We need more accountability from tech companies, sure. But we also need more courage from adults to say, “No, not yet.”
✊🏾 A Call to Reclaim Real Communication
We are not anti-tech. We are pro-human. Pro-mind. Pro-wholeness. If we want to raise children with self-worth, emotional regulation, and the ability to form real connections, we need to give them space to grow without a screen between them and the world.
Let’s go back to handwriting. To conversations. To unplugged play.
Let’s raise children who know their worth before their first like.
📚 Recommended Reading & Resources
🧠Mental Health & Technology Use
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt Website & Research A comprehensive look at how technology and smartphones affect youth mental health.
- Common Sense Media – Technology & Mental Health https://www.commonsensemedia.org Offers reviews, research, and advice on screen time, media use, and child development.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – Media Use Guidelines https://www.healthychildren.org Provides the 5 C’s of healthy media use and digital parenting tips.
📵 Smartphone Alternatives & Controls
- Wait Until 8th Campaign https://www.waituntil8th.org A movement encouraging parents to delay smartphone ownership until at least 8th grade.
- Gabb Wireless – Kid-safe Phones https://www.gabbwireless.com A phone company offering safe, no-internet devices for kids and teens.
🎓 Digital Literacy & Classroom Support
- The Center for Humane Technology https://www.humanetech.com Offers guidance for teachers and parents on ethical and healthy technology habits.
- Family Media Plan Tool (AAP) Create Your Family Plan An interactive tool to set screen time rules and values as a family.
- Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital https://digitalwellnesslab.org Tracks emerging data and shares tips on healthy digital engagement.
đź“° Original Article
ABC News – “Kids Who Own Smartphones Before Age 13 May Have Worse Mental Health Outcomes”
This study, featured on Good Morning America, highlights the emotional risks tied to early smartphone ownership.
