A new study reveals that children who own their own smartphones at the age of 12 are more likely to develop symptoms of eating disorders than their peers who do not own these devices.
This research, published Friday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, is based on a large survey that included about 9,000 teenagers across the United States.
“A smartphone can put a whole world of appearance-focused content in a young man's pocket,” exposing them to images and messages that may encourage unhealthy eating behaviors, said Dr. Jason Nagata, the study's lead author.
He added: "It is important for parents to realize that having a smartphone is not about the device alone. Rather, it can change the way a child accesses different types of content, and what they are exposed to in the digital world."
He explained that it may not only be a matter of whether you buy your child a phone, but also when you do so.
Younger children who have phones may have problems
Excessive screen time on social media is linked to a range of negative outcomes in children, including depression, low feelings of self-worth, and drug and alcohol experimentation.
Previous research from Nagata's lab also found a relationship between screen time and binge eating.
Nagata, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, said that most previous studies have focused on the amount of time young people spend on their devices.
In the new study, he wanted to focus on the age at which children begin using these devices, and how this may later affect the development of disordered eating patterns.
Research estimates indicate that about 22% of children and adolescents around the world show signs of disordered eating.
The primary difference between “disordered eating” and “eating disorder” is the degree of severity and whether the person meets the criteria for a medical diagnosis.
Both may include excessive preoccupation with food and weight, having a distorted perception of body shape and size, restricting food, or trying to compensate for calories through vomiting or excessive exercise.
Using data collected from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, a large, long-term US study of brain development and health in children, Nagata and his team found that 70% of 12-year-olds owned their own phones.
Of these, 24% reported at least one eating disorder symptom by the time they were 14 years old.
By comparison, the rate was less than 16% among teens who did not own a smartphone at age 12 and reported disordered eating behaviors two years later.
The age of 12 is a difficult stage. How can parents help?
The pre-teen years are a crucial stage of development, both physically and emotionally.
Adulthood comes with major changes in the body and body image, and it is natural, according to Nagata, for children to compare themselves to others.
Before the advent of smartphones and social media, these comparisons mostly occurred between peers.
“When you compare yourself to influencers whose images are carefully curated, edited and filtered, it may lead to increased body dissatisfaction and poor self-esteem, which may be a risk factor for developing eating disorders,” Nagata said.
Experts advise parents to set ground rules for phone use when giving pre-teens these devices.
According to a study, children who owned smartphones at the age of 12 were twice as likely to link their self-worth to their weight, and they were about one and a half times more likely to try to control their weight, such as eating low-calorie foods or getting a lot of exercise.
Delaying giving smartphones to teens may protect them from body image issues, if only temporarily, said Dr. Mitch Prinstein, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and co-director of the Winston Center for Technology and Brain Development.
Prinstein was not involved in the current study, but he said recent research is beginning to suggest that delaying children's access to phones and other devices for six months or a year may benefit their mental health.
When kids get their own phones, he recommends that parents allow them "gradual and slow exposure to social media over time."
"We don't want to give them a completely unlocked phone, where they have every opportunity to visit anything they want, for an unlimited period of time," he added.
Most major social media platforms set a minimum age of 13 to create an account.
However, previous research by Nagata found that nearly two-thirds of 11- to 12-year-olds have accounts on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
Nagata said the latest study does not provide the magic answer to the ideal age to give children a smartphone.
But if parents decide to give their preteens their own phones, it may be worth considering putting in “additional controls,” such as limiting the apps kids can download and keeping phones out of the bedroom, so it's easier to keep track of their activity.
“It's very important for parents to stay involved in their children's digital lives,” Nagata explained.
Nagata also recommends setting clear rules for phone use, having open dialogues about what kids watch online, and paying attention to any changes in their eating habits or in the way they talk about their bodies.
