Smartphones grow increasingly pervasive in our society and our children’s lives…and their influence begins at a younger and younger age. A study of over 10,600 adolescent participants compared the physical health of 12-year-olds who owned a smartphone with 12-year-olds who did not own a smartphone. The results of this study offer important warnings for parents.

• One, 12-year-olds who owned a smartphone exhibited a 30% higher risk of exhibiting signs of depression.
• Two, 12-year-olds who owned a smartphone were 40% more likely to be obese.
• Three, 12-year-olds who owned a smartphone were 60% more likely to not get enough sleep.
• Finally, the younger the child was when they got their first phone, the higher the risk for each of these conditions by the time they reached 12-years-old.

This does not mean that every child who owns a smartphone will become depressed, obese, and lack sleep. But smartphones do increase the risk of this happening. That makes sense, doesn’t it? A smartphone offers access to many emotional aspects of our world that children do not have the emotional maturity to process independently —news of wars, crimes, disasters; cyberbullying; information about various catastrophic events and predictions. Not surprisingly, this can increase the potential of depression. Every hour spent scrolling social media on a smartphone is time taken from physical activity, increasing the chances of obesity. A smartphone in the bedroom invites the opportunity to stay up late to scroll social media, watch videos and reels, or talk with friends and, as a result, limit sleep.

As you consider when to give your children a phone of their own, consider:

• The burden and responsibility this gift places upon your children’s shoulders (see The Burden of a Smartphone) and whether they exhibit a level of emotional maturity to manage this responsibility.
• The boundaries of smartphone usage and how you will teach them healthy boundaries. (Read Take Charge of Your Smartphone Before It Takes Charge of You.)
• How you will monitor their smartphone to assure both their safety and their wise use.

It may seem like a burden for parents to consider and monitor all this, but it may mean the difference between physical and mental health struggles in our children’s future lives. So, give the responsibility of a smartphone wisely, after carefully reflecting upon the above considerations.