Smartphones at age 12 linked to worse health

All three of our children attended the Lombardi Institute, where smartphones are not allowed!

Smartphones at age 12 linked to worse health

Maya Goldman, Axios News

12/1/25

Preteens who own smartphones are likelier to have depression, obesity and insufficient sleep than their peers, according to a new University of Pennsylvania-led study.

Why it matters: Roughly half of American kids now own a smartphone by the time they turn 11.

Pediatric health groups have recommended appropriate screen time for youths, but there are no public health guidelines on the appropriate age for kids to first get a smartphone, the study says.

What they found: Kids who owned a smartphone at age 12 were found to have about 31% higher odds of depression, 40% higher odds of obesity and 62% higher odds of insufficient sleep than their peers who didn't have one.

The researchers analyzed data from the National Institutes of Health-supported Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study assessments conducted between 2016 and 2022. The study included responses from 10,588 youths.

Kids who had smartphones were more likely to be female, Black or Hispanic, and from lower-income households.

The findings will be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Pediatrics.

The intrigue: The results seem specific to owning a smartphone, the researchers write, since their models accounted for owning other devices like tablets and smartwatches.

Zoom out: A separate study published last week found that a one-week social media detox significantly improved mental health outcomes among 373 young adults with problematic social media use.

The bottom line: "[S]martphone ownership offers unique challenges as it may grant youth unfettered access to a world for which they may not be ready, without the discipline to effectively manage their own use," the study says.

Just like kids' diet, media consumption and relationships, kids' smartphones require dedicated oversight, it adds.