Are you wondering when is the right time to give smartphones for children?
We’ll spoil the answer right away: as late as possible.
In this article, we discuss the impact of smartphones on young people’s mental health (based on an excellent study by Sapienlabs) that tells us the most recent results on the risks of early exposure to technology, and how the age of the first device can really make a difference.
Additionally, we address the truth about the damage that giving a smartphone too early can cause and how to behave better to protect our children’s wellbeing.
Key Points: Smartphones for Children and Mental Health in Young People
• Age really matters: Every year of delay in the first smartphone significantly improves future mental wellbeing
• Alarming data for girls: Mental health problems drop from 74% (smartphone at age 6) to 46% (smartphone at age 18)
• Impact beyond anxiety and depression: Early smartphones compromise social skills, emotional resilience, and cognitive abilities
• Severe symptoms: Increased suicidal thoughts, aggression, detachment from reality, and concentration problems
• Solid research: Study of 27,969 young adults from 27 countries confirms the correlation between age of first device and wellbeing
• No real benefits: Contrary to common beliefs, early smartphones don’t better prepare children for the digital future
• Effective alternatives: Communication, offline activities, gradual education, and parental modeling work better
• It’s never too late: Even if we gave in early, changing approach can still make a difference
• Protection, not deprivation: Delaying smartphones is an act of care based on scientific evidence, not punishmentKey Points: Smartphones for Children and Mental Health in Young People
• Age really matters: Every year of delay in the first smartphone significantly improves future mental wellbeing
• Alarming data for girls: Mental health problems drop from 74% (smartphone at age 6) to 46% (smartphone at age 18)
• Impact beyond anxiety and depression: Early smartphones compromise social skills, emotional resilience, and cognitive abilities
• Severe symptoms: Increased suicidal thoughts, aggression, detachment from reality, and concentration problems
• Solid research: Study of 27,969 young adults from 27 countries confirms the correlation between age of first device and wellbeing
• No real benefits: Contrary to common beliefs, early smartphones don’t better prepare children for the digital future
• Effective alternatives: Communication, offline activities, gradual education, and parental modeling work better
• It’s never too late: Even if we gave in early, changing approach can still make a difference
• Protection, not deprivation: Delaying smartphones is an act of care based on scientific evidence, not punishment
Why is this question so important?
“If I give it to them now, at least I know where they are!”
“All their friends already have one, I can’t be the only mean parent!”
“For once they’re calm and quiet with the phone…”
Raise your hand if you’ve never thought (or heard) these phrases!
These thoughts, besides making us feel guilty, come directly from the pressures of modern society and the fear of “harming” our child by denying them what everyone else has.
Technology has conquered us since our children were very small, promising to “help us” in education and prepare children for the digital future.
They made us believe that the earlier they start, the better, and consequently we might end up moving up the age of the first smartphone more and more.
The truth, however, is very different.
What does the most recent research say?
More than 27,969 young adults from around the world participated in the largest study ever conducted on this topic.
Among this data we find information from 27 different countries, with a specific focus on Generation Z – the first kids to have lived through adolescence with smartphones.
This study established that there is a direct correlation between the age of the first smartphone and mental wellbeing in adulthood, and that it’s a much more serious impact than we imagine.
The Global Mind Project analyzed 47 different elements of mental health through the Mental Health Quotient (MHQ), discovering truths that should make every parent reflect.
The research demonstrated that delaying the first smartphone not only doesn’t harm children, but protects them from devastating long-term consequences.
Not only that, besides being linked to mental health problems – and therefore to actual psychological disorders – early smartphone use also has results opposite to those we hope to achieve.
Let’s see what really happens when we give a smartphone too early.
But does giving a smartphone early really work to prepare children for the future?
Phones given to young children achieve devastating long-term results with very few real benefits in the present.
Early smartphones, in fact, might seem useful for keeping them calm or making them feel “included,” but this apparent benefit transforms into serious and lasting problems.
This happens because the child doesn’t develop the necessary social and resilience skills, there’s no natural maturation that allows them to face life’s challenges in a healthy way.
Rather, they’re exposed to stimuli that are too intense and complex, which only compromises their development – and damages their future abilities to manage stress, relationships, and difficulties.
To answer the question of whether early smartphones really work, we can say: no, they don’t work to prepare children for the future, in any way.
The convenience trap
A parent who gives a smartphone too early to their child is probably a tired parent, perhaps because the child is having tantrums or going through a difficult phase, and is looking for a quick solution to manage the situation.
Additionally, a series of social pressures might have led them to give in, and the parent finds themselves justifying this choice as “necessary.”
Not knowing how to manage difficult moments differently, they choose the apparently easier path and give the phone to the child.
Don’t misunderstand us: it can happen that we give in.
Nobody is perfect and there are moments when our children really manage to push us beyond the limits of patience.
Giving the phone to the child seems like an immediate solution, but in fact it’s just a shortcut that creates dependency and compromises healthy development.
Having patience and alternative strategies, however, is important and managing education consciously is the basis of balanced growth.
The damage, real results of early smartphones
Children, especially the youngest ones, learn through imitation from peers, but also from adults and the environment around them.
A child exposed early to smartphones will probably be more likely, as they grow up, to develop technology addiction, problems in social relationships, and concentration difficulties.
It’s no coincidence that many cases of social anxiety and youth depression have intensive smartphone use behind them, more or less evident.
This could also be an unconscious consequence, with the real desire on the adult’s part to do the best for the child, but causing hardly reversible damage that manifests in subsequent years.
The Global Mind Project research, lasting years with a sample of almost 28,000 young adults, showed that early smartphones achieve results exactly opposite to those desired.
The young people indeed tended to have more mental health problems, developed social anxiety, lost resilience capacity, and showed significant cognitive difficulties.
The results of smartphones for children
Early smartphones therefore lead children to:
- Distance themselves from real relationships: preferring digital interactions to face-to-face ones
- Have low self-esteem: constant comparison on social media and dependence on “likes” damages self-confidence
- Develop social anxiety: losing the natural ability to relate to peers without technological mediation
- Use technology as escape: avoiding facing problems and difficult emotions
- Develop mental health problems: significantly increasing the risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts
- Face cognitive difficulties: showing problems with concentration, memory, and deep learning abilities
- Compromise family relationships: creating conflicts over technology use and reducing authentic communication
- Lose emotional resilience: becoming more fragile when facing life’s difficulties
The results are particularly dramatic for girls: the percentage of mental health problems drops from 74% for those who received their first smartphone at 6 years old to 46% for those who received it at 18 years old.
“But yes, everyone has one and they’ve grown up just fine!”
Many argue that smartphones are now necessary for children and that without them they risk falling “behind” compared to their peers.
Are we so sure?
Research data clearly shows the opposite: those who receive smartphones later develop greater social skills, emotional resilience, and psychological wellbeing.
Many object based on the child’s age: for young ones it might be okay for safety, for older ones it becomes problematic. Usually, we ask some questions to reflect on:
- What is the right age to give the first smartphone?
- WHO established that it’s necessary to have it so early?
- Would you give drugs to your child?
- Are you willing to give up your phone to set an example?
- Would you accept that at school they spend all their time on the phone?
Invariably, the answers are confused and contradictory: many parents recognize the problems, but continue to give in to social pressures.
The logic isn’t quite clear, but it’s so common and rooted that it becomes almost automatic when talking about technology and children.
And to answer the main question, we present two reflections:
Who says that “everyone” has grown up well? Data clearly shows the increase in mental health problems in new generations
Has someone really grown up well who today suffers from social anxiety, technology addiction, and relationship problems?
It’s rather simple logic, but we don’t understand why even the most careful people often get confused about smartphones.
In any case, there are many alternatives that work better than early smartphones, let’s see together what they might be.
Alternatives to early smartphones
There are really many alternatives to smartphones given too early.
Below we give you some strategies to manage social pressures and protect your children:
| Strategy | Description |
|---|---|
| Clear communication | Explain to children why we’re waiting and what the benefits of this choice are |
| Alternative activities | Propose hobbies, sports, and creative activities that develop real skills |
| Offline socialization | Organize meetings with friends without technology in between |
| Parental modeling | Set an example with conscious use of our technology |
| Positive reinforcement | Reward and praise positive social behaviors and creativity |
| Gradual education | Introduce technology gradually when the child is more mature |
By focusing on educational methods that develop real skills, we can help create an environment that promotes healthy and happy development in children.
Dialogue is always the best alternative: thanks to it we can explain our choices and find mutual understanding.
Children understand much more than we imagine and we can explain the reasons for our decisions to them even before they start pressuring us.
Always explaining why we’re waiting helps the child understand that it’s not a punishment, but protection.
Taking time to reflect is also a very valid alternative: if we find ourselves under pressure to give the phone, stopping and really evaluating whether it’s the right time will help us make more conscious decisions.
Prevent rather than cure
If you know there are situations that lead to insistent phone requests, anticipate them: you should know your child better than anyone else.
If that’s not the case, it’s time to start observing them more carefully and understanding what they really need.
If you happen to give in and give the phone too early, nobody will put you on trial: it can happen, the important thing is not to make it a habit and review the strategy.
And, above all, don’t start justifying it by saying “well, now that…” because research data clearly shows us that it’s never too late to change approach.
There are many better methods than early smartphones to prepare children for the future.
Naturally they require more effort and that’s why it’s important to have tools and strategies that allow us to create a serene environment for the family, where everyone can grow healthily.
What does the most recent research say?
In the Global Mind Project research, data from 27 different countries were examined, involving 27,969 young adults aged between 18 and 24 years.
The research demonstrated that delaying the first smartphone significantly improves mental wellbeing, while giving it early can lead to lasting negative consequences such as mental health problems, antisocial behaviors, and cognitive difficulties.
Additionally, the study clearly shows that there are no real benefits in giving smartphones to young children, contrary to what we’re often made to believe.
Specifically, the study found that:
- For girls: mental health problems drop from 74% (first smartphone at 6 years) to 46% (first smartphone at 18 years)
- For boys: problems drop from 42% to 36% with the same comparison
- The most affected areas are “Social Self” (ability to relate), mood, and resilience
- The most severe symptoms include suicidal thoughts, aggression, and detachment from reality
This, despite common beliefs pointing clearly in the opposite direction from scientific data.
We are with you
We at Parentalife are for a conscious approach to technology and regularly prepare parents to use educational strategies that really work and create a healthy environment in the family.
The research is clear: every year of delay in the first smartphone can make the difference between balanced growth and serious problems that will persist over the years.
We are with you in this conscious choice, which requires courage but which your children will thank you for their entire lives.
We at Parentalife support you with guides, courses, and with personalized consultations.
We are with you.
SOURCES
https://sapienlabs.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Sapien-Labs-Age-of-First-Smartphone-and-Mental-Wellbeing-Outcomes.pdf