Smartphone use at an early age increases the risk of eating disorders in adolescents

In the world of child psychiatry, neurology and adolescent health, a massive clinical study has been made public regarding the devastating effects of early smartphone acquisition. Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, which examined 8,957 adolescents from 21 different medical centers across the USA, was published in JAMA Network Open, one of the most respected publications in the medical world. Research has documented that children who have personal smartphones at age 12 develop serious eating disorders and compensatory harmful behaviors by age 14.

Clinical analysis showed that children who had their own smartphone by age 12 were 61% more likely to experience a binge eating episode than their peers who did not have a phone. Additionally, these children more than doubled the risk of tying their self-esteem and personal worth directly to their body weight.

While 69.5% of 12-year-old children participating in the national survey were found to have a personal smartphone, it was confirmed that the rate of general eating disorder symptoms among adolescents in this group was 36% higher.

After initial data at age 12, the researchers clinically screened the same children again at age 14. Two-year follow-up data proved that the risk of binge eating increased by 67% in children who acquired phones at the age of 12, and the risk of dangerous compensatory behaviors such as excessive fasting or vomiting to prevent weight gain increased by 50%.

Girls have been noted to exhibit significantly higher rates of anxiety about weight gain and body image than boys.

Experts emphasize that during adolescence between the ages of 10 and 14, children's body perception is extremely sensitive and they need peer approval. Providing access to a personal phone 24/7; It exposes children to idealized body measurements offered by social media algorithms, thinness propaganda, and dangerous streams that encourage eating disorders.

The research showed that parents often fail to recognize the inner anxieties and emotional withdrawals their children experience. Scientists; It calls on parents to delay the age at which they give their children smartphones, to limit their access to content according to their maturity level, and to regulators to impose strict rules on adolescents' social media access.