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Early smartphone use associated with mental health Rlrisks in children: Global study calls for urgent action
Children who receive smartphones before the age of 13 face higher risks of mental health challenges, including anxiety, low self-worth, detachment from reality, and even suicidal thoughts, according to new global research. The risks are particularly pronounced among girls, driving experts and policymakers to call for urgent preventive measures.
A recent study by the Global Mind Project revealed the growing impact of early smartphone ownership on young people’s mental well-being. Researchers found that children who start using smartphones before adolescence ( 13 years old) are more likely to experience long-term mental health difficulties in young adulthood. Factors such as unregulated social media use, cyberbullying, disrupted sleep patterns, and weakened family relationships appear to drive these outcomes.
The study’s findings are consistent across all regions of the world, with the strongest effects observed in English-speaking countries. Experts emphasize that early digital exposure can interfere with emotional regulation, reduce self-esteem, and damage the development of foundational life skills crucial for human well-being.
In response to these findings, researchers advocate for a precautionary approach, similar to regulations on alcohol and tobacco. Proposed measures include age limits on smartphone ownership, mandatory digital literacy education for children and parents, and increased corporate accountability for technology companies.
Such interventions commit to protect children’s mental health and ensure that digital environments support rather than affect healthy development.
Rwanda’s Ministry of Health has endorsed the global evidence, highlighting the urgent need for policies that safeguard children from the potential harms of early smartphone use.
As digital technologies become increasingly central to daily life, experts warn that a society wide reset is essential to ipromote safe, balanced, and developmentally appropriate access for young people worldwide.
