Smartphones at Age 12 Linked to Increased Eating Disorder Symptoms by Age 14, Study Finds
A new study published in JAMA Network Open indicates that children who own smartphones by age 12 are significantly more likely to develop symptoms of eating disorders by age 14. The research, which surveyed nearly 9,000 adolescents across the United States, found that 70% of 12-year-olds owned a smartphone. Of this group, 24% reported at least one eating disorder symptom two years later, compared to less than 16% of teens who did not have a smartphone at age 12. Dr. Jason Nagata, the lead author and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, highlighted that smartphones expose young people to appearance-focused content, which can foster unhealthy eating behaviors. The study suggests that the age at which children receive their first smartphone plays a crucial role in their vulnerability to such issues. Dr. Mitch Prinstein, co-director of the Winston Center on Technology and Brain Development, who was not involved in the study, noted that delaying smartphone access ...
