Ownership of a smartphone before the age of 13 is linked to the poorest health of the mind and prosperity in early adulthood, according to a worldwide study of more than 100,000 young people.
Published today in assessed by peer Newspaper of human development and potentialThe study found that people aged 18 to 24 who had received their first smartphone at the age of 12 or younger were more likely to report suicidal thoughts, aggression, detachment from reality, poorer emotional regulation and low self -esteem.
The data also shows that these impacts of the ownership of smartphone at an early age are largely linked to premature access to social media and the highest risks to cyber, disturbed sleep and bad family relationships during adulthood.
A team of experts from Sapien Labs, which hosts the world’s largest database for mental prosperity, the Global Mind Project-where data on this research was gathered by the demanding action to protect the health of future generations.
“Our data shows that early ownership of smartphones and access to social media often brings-conspired with a deep shift in health and prosperity to early adulthood,” says head writer Neuroscientist Dr. Tara Thiagarajan, who is the founder and lead scientist of Sapien Labs.
“These correlations are mediated through various factors, including access to social media, cyberspace, disturbed sleep and poor family relationships that lead to adulthood symptoms that are not traditional symptoms of mental health and depression.
“Based on these findings and with the age of the first smartphones now under the age of 13 around the world, we urge policy -making managers to adopt a preventive approach, similar to alcohol and tobacco regulations, limiting the access of smartphone under 13,
Since the early 2000s, smartphones have reshaped the way young people link, learn and format identities. But along with these opportunities there are increasing concerns about how social media algorithms based on AI can enhance harmful content and encourage social comparison-while also affecting other activities such as face-to-face interaction.
Although many social media platforms set a minimum age of user 13, the imposition is inconsistent. In the meantime, the average age of the first ownership of a smartphone continues to fall, with many children spending hours a day on their devices.
Currently, it is a mixed image internationally around the ban on phones in schools, at least. In recent years, several countries have banned or restricted the use of mobile phones in institutions, including France, Netherlands, Italy and New Zealand. The results of these movements are limited, but a study assigned by the Dutch government has found improved focus on students. This month, New York policy executives announced that they will become the largest US state to ban smartphones in schools, gathering locations such as Alabama, Arkansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and West limit at least access to smart phones.
Overall, previous studies on screen time, social media and smartphone access and the various results of mental health have shown negative impacts, but also mixed, often conflicting results, which make it difficult for policymakers, schools and families to browse this issue. This may have to do with the use of the meditates who lose critical related symptoms.
For this new analysis, the Sapien team drew data from the Global Mind Project and then used the Mind Health Quotient (MHQ)-a self-assessment tool that measures social, emotional, cognitive and natural prosperity-to create an overall “Mind Health” rating.
Their results showed:
· The specific symptoms most associated with the previous property of smartphone include suicidal thoughts, aggression, detachment from reality and illusions.
· Young adults who received their first smartphone before the age of 13 had lower MHQ ratings, with scores gradually reducing the younger age of first ownership. For example, those who held a smartphone at the age of 13 scored an average of 30, falling to just 1 for those who had one at the age of five.
Correspondingly, the percentage considered distressed or competing (with scores showing that they had five or more severe symptoms) increased by 9.5% for females and 7% for men. This pattern was consistent in all areas, cultures and languages, showing a critical window of increased vulnerability.
· That newer property is also linked to the reduced image of self-worth, confidence and trust and emotional resilience between females and lower stability and tranquility, self-confidence and empathy between males.
Further analysis has shown that timely access to social media explains about 40%of the association between the previous childhood ownership of smartphones and the later health of the mind, with bad family relationships (13%), cyberspace (10%) and disturbed sleep (12%).
Researchers acknowledge that the Covid-19 pandemic may have magnified these standards, but the cohesion of these trends in all world regions indicates a wider development effect of early smartphone access.
While current evidence does not yet prove a direct causal cause between the early ownership of smartphones and later health and the prosperity of the mind, a document restriction, the authors argue that the scale of possible damage is excessive to ignore and justify a protection.
Constitute four key areas for policy -making responsible for dealing with:
· Requirement of compulsory education for digital education and mental health.
· Enhance the active recognition of social media violations and to ensure significant consequences for technology companies.
· Limit access to social media platforms.
· Apply Access Restrictions for Smartphones.
“Overall, these policy recommendations aim to safeguard the health of the mind during critical development windows,” says Dr. Thiagarajan, whose research specialty focuses on the impact of the environment on the brain and mind, with interest in the human being.
“Implementing them requires significant political and social will, effective imposition and multi -part approach, but there are successful previous ones.
Our data shows that child ownership of a smartphone, an early gateway to AI -powered digital environments, is deeply reduced to the health of the mind and prosperity in adulthood with profound consequences for individual service and social boom.
I was initially surprised by how strong the results are. However, when you give it into account, it begins to make sense that the newest growing mind is more compromised by the online environment, given the vulnerability and lack of secular experience.
Taking this, I think it is also important to point out that smartphones and social media are not the only attack on the mental health and crisis facing younger adults. It explains some of the total decline, but not all. “Now, while more research is needed to unfold the causal mechanisms, waiting for the undisputed proof of these findings at the population level, unfortunately there is a risk of lacking the window for timely, preventive action.”
Dr. Tara Thiagarajan, founder and lead scientist at Sapien Labs
This document is part of a special coherent set, entitled “The Policy Forum”, in the upcoming publication of the Journal of Human Development and the possibilities.
Source:
Magazine report:
Thiagarajan, TC, et al. (2025). Protecting the growing mind in a digital age: a global political urgent need. Newspaper of human development and potential. Doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2025.2518313.
