Children who own a smartphone before they are aged 13 risk having poor mental health in early adulthood.
Over 100,000 youngsters aged between 18 and 24, took part in a study, published Sunday in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities.
The group were asked when they got a smartphone and a range of mental health symptoms,
The experts found that those who had a smartphone before age 13 had worse mental health and reported suicidal thoughts, as well as aggression.
As a result, experts at .Labs, which hosts the world’s biggest database on mental health, have called for technology companies and parents to take “urgent” action and to roll out restrictions to stop under-13-year-old children from accessing smartphones.
Tara Thiagarajan, one of the study’s authors, told ABC News: “The younger the child gets a smartphone, the more exposure to all this impacts them psychologically and shapes the way they think and view the world.
“Ideally, children should not have a smartphone until age 14, and when they do get a smartphone, parents should take the time to discuss with their children how to interact on the Internet and explain the consequences of doing various things.
“The longer we can push off allowing our kids to be on social media, we are learning, the better.
ALSO READ:
“I think lots of families are getting creative … landlines …. flip phones for kids [are] maybe an option so that they can have access to communicating without all the other things that come with smartphones.”
