WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A new study is exposing the risks of giving your child a smartphone before age 13. <\/p>\n
During the summer, you would expect kids to be playing outside of enjoying the pool. But this study shows that isn\u2019t the case for many kids.<\/p>\n
The study done by the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities found that 18- to 24-year-olds who had received their first smartphone at age 12 or younger were more likely to report suicidal thoughts, aggression, detachment from reality, poorer emotional regulation and low self-worth.<\/p>\n
Evidence also links smartphone ownership at an early age with higher risks of cyberbullying, bad sleep and poor relationships with family members as kids grow older.<\/p>\n
Eric Litwiller is the director of donor advising at the Mental Health Association. He said he is not surprised by the results of the study, and he believes parents need to take action.<\/p>\n
\u201cParents need to be checking in on their kids regardless of age,\u201d Litwiller said. \u201cI think it\u2019s very easy for parents to discount their kids behavior. It\u2019s a mood, it\u2019s a blip, it\u2019s a phase, it\u2019s a quirk. However we dismiss it, right? <\/p>\n
\u201cThe CDC has suicide statistics for children as young as 5 years old, which means they\u2019re experiencing mental health issues or illnesses even earlier than that.\u201d <\/p>\n
Litwiller also said that screen time or social media addiction is still not a formal diagnosis, but he believes that will change in the future.<\/p>\n
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