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The Younger A Child Is When They Get A Smartphone, The More Likely They’ll Have Mental Health Challenges
In A Nutshell
- Study tracked over 100,000 people aged 18–24 to examine the effects of childhood smartphone ownership on adult mental health.
- Those who got smartphones before age 13 showed much higher rates of suicidal thoughts, aggression, and emotional struggles.
- Girls were especially affected, with 48% of those who got phones at age 5–6 reporting suicidal thoughts, compared to 28% at age 13.
- Researchers urge policy changes, recommending age restrictions and mandatory digital literacy training to protect developing minds.
ARLINGTON, Va. — Nearly half of young women who received their first smartphone at age 5 or 6 now report having suicidal thoughts, compared to just over a quarter of those who waited until 13 to get their device. A sweeping new study tracking more than 100,000 young adults across the globe reveals a troubling pattern that should alarm every parent: the younger children are when they first own a smartphone, the worse their mental health becomes by early adulthood.
The research, published this month in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, shows overall mental wellbeing scores plummet as smartphone ownership age drops. Researchers used a comprehensive mental health measure that tracks emotional, social and cognitive functioning. Scores fell from 30 points for 13-year-old first-time owners to just 1 point for 5-year-old recipients.
“What’s more, the magnitude is substantial: if current trends for increasingly younger smartphone ownership and social media access continue, projections from this data suggest that this factor alone could be responsible for mental distress such as suicidal thoughts, dissociation from reality, and diminished functionings such as emotional control and resilience in nearly a third of the next generation,” the researchers wrote in their paper.
How Researchers Tracked a Generation’s Mental Health
The Global Mind Project, led by neuroscientist Tara Thiagarajan at Sapien Labs, represents one of the largest examinations of how childhood technology exposure affects adult mental health. Rather than waiting decades for traditional studies to mature, the research team took a different approach: asking young adults when they first received smartphones and comparing those timelines to their current mental health status.
Data came from nearly 2 million participants across 163 countries, with the core analysis focusing on over 100,000 individuals between ages 18 and 24 – Generation Z, the first group to grow up with smartphones and social media from early childhood. Participants completed an extensive online assessment covering 47 different aspects of mental functioning, from emotional regulation to social skills to cognitive abilities.
Research often points to the short-term effects smartphone use has on children. Now, scientists say there’s a correlation between children who have phones and suicidal thoughts in young adulthood. (Photo by TungArt7 from Pixabay)
The Specific Mental Health Problems Linked to Early Phone Use
Early smartphone ownership correlates with a troubling range of symptoms in young adulthood beyond suicidal thoughts. Those who got phones before age 13 show higher rates of aggression, feelings of detachment from reality, and hallucinations. Among specific mental health functions, early smartphone users struggle more with self-image, self-worth, emotional control, and resilience – particularly females. Males show greater difficulties with stability, calmness, and empathy.
Comparing those who got smartphones at ages 5-6 versus 13-18, researchers documented 20 percentage point higher rates of suicidal thoughts among females and 11 percentage points higher among males. Hallucinations increased by 14 percentage points for females and 9 points for males.
Mental health impacts appear worldwide, but English-speaking countries show the most severe effects. In what researchers call the “Core Anglosphere” – developed English-speaking nations like the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia – children get phones and access social media earlier than counterparts in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East.
The heightened vulnerability in English-speaking regions may reflect not just earlier access, but the nature of English-language online content itself. Researchers point to “a greater volume of harmful, hyper-sexualised, or exploitative content compared to other languages and regions” that algorithms may promote more readily.
Smartphones serve as gateways to social media platforms powered by artificial intelligence algorithms designed to maximize user engagement. Age of social media access explains about 40% of the connection between early smartphone ownership and poor mental health outcomes.
“These AI-powered systems strategically exploit behavioural data and psychological vulnerabilities, potentially constraining children’s agency by eroding autonomy, diminishing decision-making capacity, and encouraging social comparison,” the researchers explained.
Social media access triggers a cascade of problems. Early exposure increases chances of cyberbullying, which accounts for 10% of the smartphone-mental health link. Poor family relationships explain another 13%, while disrupted sleep patterns contribute 12%. Most cyberbullying and family relationship problems stem from social media access rather than smartphone use itself.
Sleep disruption appears tied more directly to smartphone activities beyond social media – likely gaming, streaming videos, or other engaging content that keeps young users awake.
Children who access social media on their smartphones are especially prone to experiencing mental health struggles later on. (© Monkey Business – stock.adobe.com)
Policy Recommendations: Treating Phones Like Alcohol and Tobacco
Based on these results, the research team advocates for sweeping policy changes treating smartphones and social media like other age-restricted substances. Their recommendations include mandatory digital literacy education before social media access, stronger enforcement of existing age restrictions with meaningful penalties for tech companies, and restricting smartphone access for children under 13.
The most ambitious proposal calls for “graduated access restrictions” that would limit full smartphone capabilities for under-13s while offering alternatives like basic phones with calling and texting but no internet access or social media apps.
“Just as we restrict alcohol, tobacco, and motor vehicle operation to older adolescents and adults based on risk to developing minds and bodies, so too should we restrict smartphones and social media during the critical formative years,” the authors argued.
Critics might argue the evidence doesn’t yet prove smartphones directly cause these mental health problems – the study shows correlation, not causation. However, the researchers contend that waiting for definitive proof risks missing a critical window for intervention.
“When children exhibit this magnitude and severity of mental distress and diminished functionings, intervention should not wait,” they wrote, invoking what they call the “precautionary principle” – acting to prevent harm even when scientific evidence isn’t completely certain.
With mental health problems appearing consistently across cultures and continents, this research raises serious questions about whether unfettered childhood access to smartphone technology serves young people’s best interests, or if society needs to fundamentally rethink how it introduces children to digital life.
Disclaimer: This article summarizes findings from a peer-reviewed study. While the study identifies strong correlations between early smartphone use and poorer mental health outcomes in adulthood, it does not prove causation. Results reflect population-level trends and may not apply to individual experiences. Parents and policymakers are encouraged to consider the study’s limitations, including self-reported data and lack of screen time specifics, when interpreting its findings.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The Global Mind Project collected data from nearly 2 million participants across 163 countries using an online assessment tool called the Mind Health Quotient (MHQ). The core analysis examined over 100,000 individuals aged 18-24, asking them to recall when they first received a smartphone and comparing this to their current mental health status measured across 47 different emotional, social, cognitive, and physical functions. The MHQ generates scores from -100 (distressed) to +200 (thriving), with negative scores indicating significant mental health struggles.
Results
A clear pattern emerged: the younger someone received their first smartphone, the worse their adult mental health outcomes. MHQ scores dropped from 30 points for those who got phones at 13 to just 1 point for those who got them at age 5. Among females who received smartphones at ages 5-6, 48% report suicidal thoughts compared to 28% who waited until 13. Effects were consistent across all global regions but strongest in English-speaking countries. Social media access explained 40% of the relationship between early smartphone ownership and poor mental health.
Limitations
The study is correlational rather than causal, meaning it cannot definitively prove smartphones directly cause mental health problems. The research relies on participants’ recall of when they first received smartphones, which may be imprecise. The analysis doesn’t account for individual screen time or specific content consumption patterns. Additionally, the study doesn’t include variables that might explain the relationship, such as family dynamics or pre-existing mental health conditions.
Funding and Disclosures
This work was supported by funding from Sapien Labs. The authors reported no potential conflicts of interest. The full dataset is freely available for non-profit research purposes through the Sapien Labs Researcher Hub.
Publication Information
“Protecting the Developing Mind in a Digital Age: A Global Policy Imperative” by Tara C. Thiagarajan, Jennifer Jane Newson, and Shailender Swaminathan was published on July 20, 2025 in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Volume 26, Number 3, pages 493-504. The study can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2025.2518313.