New Data Connects Smartphone Ownership at Age 12 to Obesity and Mental Health Concerns

Story at-a-glance

• Early smartphone ownership at age 12 is linked to higher risks of depression, obesity, and insufficient sleep, placing your child on a riskier long-term developmental path
• Each year earlier a child receives a smartphone increases the odds of obesity and insufficient sleep, showing just how much the timing of that first phone shapes their health
• Children who acquire a smartphone between ages 12 and 13 face sharply higher rates of emotional symptoms and poor sleep compared to peers who remain phone-free
• Receiving a smartphone before age 13 is linked to lower self-worth, weaker emotional resilience, and greater psychological distress in young adulthood
• Simple steps like delaying smartphone access, keeping devices out of bedrooms, and reducing wireless exposure support healthier sleep, emotional steadiness, and long-term well-being

Twelve-year-olds in the U.S. live in a world where smartphone access feels almost unavoidable, yet the decision to give a device at this age carries far more weight than some parents realize. Many families assume that a phone is simply a tool for convenience or safety, but the emerging data signals something deeper: early access shapes how your child sleeps, handles stress, and interprets their social world.

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola