Study: Owning a smartphone before age 12 puts children at risk of serious illnesses: Owning a smartphone before age 12 puts children at risk of serious illnesses
A large-scale study involving more than 10,000 American teenagers has revealed a worrying link between owning smartphones at a young age and an increased risk of serious health problems.
Study: Owning a smartphone before age 12 puts children at risk of serious illnessesGettyimages.ru
The results showed that children who own smartphones before the age of twelve are more likely to suffer from depression, obesity and sleep disorders compared to their peers who do not own these devices.
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These findings, published in a specialized scientific journal, reinforce previous warnings about the impact of technology on the mental and physical health of emerging generations.
According to the study, which was overseen by researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Universities of California and Columbia, these health problems in turn constitute risk factors for developing life-threatening chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Dr. Ran Barzilai, a child psychiatrist and the lead supervisor of the study, explained: "Our results indicate the need to treat smartphones as an influential factor in adolescents' health, and to be cautious in the decision to give a child a smartphone while assessing the potential repercussions on their development and health."
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The study, which relied on data from the “Adolescent Cognitive Brain Development” research – the largest of its kind in the United States – also found that teenagers who got their phones between the ages of 12 and 13 showed higher rates of psychological problems and poor sleep when they reached the age of 13.
Barzilai added: "We are not claiming that smartphones are harmful to all teenagers, but we advise careful consideration of the balance between health benefits and risks before making a decision."
The researchers recommended that families follow preventive measures that include setting clear conditions for phone use, establishing rules for its use during meals, during schoolwork and before bedtime, as well as adjusting privacy and content settings.
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Barzilai stressed the importance of "allocating time free from smart devices to engage in physical activity that protects against obesity and promotes mental health."
The research team plans to continue the study by analyzing the types of applications and usage patterns that have the greatest impact on health, with a focus on the under-ten age group in which smartphone ownership rates are rapidly increasing.
