Latest news with #JournalofHumanDevelopmentandCapabilities
The Star
3 days ago
- Health
- The Star
Smartphones may threaten children's mental health, advocates warn
Smartphone-Free Childhood SA (SFC-SA), a parent-led initiative, is calling for a more cautious and intentional approach to digital access during childhood, as a global study warns of serious mental health risks associated with early smartphone use in children. This follows the release of a comprehensive international study published in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, which analysed data from over 100 000 individuals across more than 160 countries. The study found that children who received smartphones before the age of 13 were significantly more likely to experience mental health challenges in early adulthood, including anxiety, depression, emotional instability, aggression, and social withdrawal. The research also highlights social media as the biggest contributing factor, accounting for 40% of the link between early smartphone ownership and declining mental health. Other contributors include disrupted sleep (12%), strained family relationships (13%), and cyberbullying (10%). SFC-SA's Claire Thompson tells Saturday Star that the findings should serve as a wake-up call for South African families. 'Children between 10 and 16 are in a critical stage of brain development. The emotional centres of the brain are in overdrive while impulse control and reasoning are still under construction. Giving them unfiltered access to the digital world during this time can be incredibly destabilising.' Thompson warns that smartphones, particularly when unsupervised, expose children to psychological stressors and inappropriate content they are not equipped to process. 'Being excluded from a group chat or receiving fewer likes on a post may seem minor, but for a child, it can feel like deep rejection. They don't yet have the tools to manage that kind of feedback.' She added that the dangers go beyond emotional strain. 'We've seen children stumble upon explicit content or fall prey to online predators. These are risks that require maturity and guidance to navigate safely.' In response, SFC-SA is advocating for community-wide support in delaying smartphone ownership, implementing digital literacy programs, and encouraging policies that protect young minds. The movement is part of a growing global push to reconsider how and when children are introduced to technology. 'Smartphones aren't going anywhere, but how we integrate them into our children's lives is still within our control. We're not anti-technology, we're pro-childhood.' As awareness of the issue spreads, the organisation aims to reshape the conversation around kids and tech, focusing on mental health, developmental readiness, and safer digital habits for the next generation. Lerato Ntwampe, an admitted attorney of the High Court involved with the movement, shares her insights from her interactions with schoolchildren. 'I think one of my biggest concerns when I engage with schoolchildren during talks is how unaware many of them are about the range of online harms that exist. It's not that they don't know these things happen; many are aware, but they don't always understand the legal implications. Some of these online behaviours are not just harmful; they're illegal. This includes hate speech, cyberbullying, sexting, and the sharing of child sexual abuse material (commonly referred to as child pornography in South Africa), and how this content is often circulated on WhatsApp groups and platforms like Instagram and TikTok. ' One parent, wishing to remain anonymous, voiced her agreement with SFC-SA and shared her own struggles in navigating smartphone access for her 10-year-old son. 'I've allowed my son to have a smartphone out of fear of him feeling left out among his peers. However, I implemented the Google Family Link app to monitor his usage,' she shares. Yet, she laments that technical issues have rendered her efforts ineffective, leaving her son free to explore the digital world without limitations. A teacher from a phone-free primary school in the Free State expressed her support for the cause stating, 'In my classroom, I recently used the topic 'At what age should a child get a smartphone?' for a speaking assessment. My aim was to encourage students to engage with their parents while also exploring factual information from credible studies. I hoped parents would take notice of the compelling research surrounding smartphone usage among children.' [email protected] Saturday Star
IOL News
3 days ago
- Health
- IOL News
Smartphones may threaten children's mental health, advocates warn
Smartphone-Free Childhood SA (SFC-SA), a parent-led initiative, is calling for a more cautious and intentional approach to digital access during childhood, as a global study warns of serious mental health risks associated with early smartphone use in children. This follows the release of a comprehensive international study published in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, which analysed data from over 100 000 individuals across more than 160 countries. The study found that children who received smartphones before the age of 13 were significantly more likely to experience mental health challenges in early adulthood, including anxiety, depression, emotional instability, aggression, and social withdrawal. The research also highlights social media as the biggest contributing factor, accounting for 40% of the link between early smartphone ownership and declining mental health. Other contributors include disrupted sleep (12%), strained family relationships (13%), and cyberbullying (10%). SFC-SA's Claire Thompson tells Saturday Star that the findings should serve as a wake-up call for South African families. 'Children between 10 and 16 are in a critical stage of brain development. The emotional centres of the brain are in overdrive while impulse control and reasoning are still under construction. Giving them unfiltered access to the digital world during this time can be incredibly destabilising.' Thompson warns that smartphones, particularly when unsupervised, expose children to psychological stressors and inappropriate content they are not equipped to process. 'Being excluded from a group chat or receiving fewer likes on a post may seem minor, but for a child, it can feel like deep rejection. They don't yet have the tools to manage that kind of feedback.' She added that the dangers go beyond emotional strain. 'We've seen children stumble upon explicit content or fall prey to online predators. These are risks that require maturity and guidance to navigate safely.' In response, SFC-SA is advocating for community-wide support in delaying smartphone ownership, implementing digital literacy programs, and encouraging policies that protect young minds. The movement is part of a growing global push to reconsider how and when children are introduced to technology. 'Smartphones aren't going anywhere, but how we integrate them into our children's lives is still within our control. We're not anti-technology, we're pro-childhood.' As awareness of the issue spreads, the organisation aims to reshape the conversation around kids and tech, focusing on mental health, developmental readiness, and safer digital habits for the next generation. Lerato Ntwampe, an admitted attorney of the High Court involved with the movement, shares her insights from her interactions with schoolchildren. 'I think one of my biggest concerns when I engage with schoolchildren during talks is how unaware many of them are about the range of online harms that exist. It's not that they don't know these things happen; many are aware, but they don't always understand the legal implications. Some of these online behaviours are not just harmful; they're illegal. This includes hate speech, cyberbullying, sexting, and the sharing of child sexual abuse material (commonly referred to as child pornography in South Africa), and how this content is often circulated on WhatsApp groups and platforms like Instagram and TikTok.' One parent, wishing to remain anonymous, voiced her agreement with SFC-SA and shared her own struggles in navigating smartphone access for her 10-year-old son. 'I've allowed my son to have a smartphone out of fear of him feeling left out among his peers. However, I implemented the Google Family Link app to monitor his usage,' she shares. Yet, she laments that technical issues have rendered her efforts ineffective, leaving her son free to explore the digital world without limitations. A teacher from a phone-free primary school in the Free State expressed her support for the cause stating, 'In my classroom, I recently used the topic 'At what age should a child get a smartphone?' for a speaking assessment. My aim was to encourage students to engage with their parents while also exploring factual information from credible studies. I hoped parents would take notice of the compelling research surrounding smartphone usage among children.' Saturday Star
Perth Now
28-07-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Smartphone users under age of 13 risk poor mental health when they are adults
Children who own a smartphone before they are aged 13 risk having poor mental health in early adulthood. Over 100,000 youngsters aged between 18 and 24, took part in a study, published Sunday in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities. The group were asked when they got a smartphone and a range of mental health symptoms, The experts found that those who had a smartphone before age 13 had worse mental health and reported suicidal thoughts, as well as aggression. As a result, experts at .Labs, which hosts the world's biggest database on mental health, have called for technology companies and parents to take "urgent" action and to roll out restrictions to stop under-13-year-old children from accessing smartphones. Tara Thiagarajan, one of the study's authors, told ABC News: "The younger the child gets a smartphone, the more exposure to all this impacts them psychologically and shapes the way they think and view the world. "Ideally, children should not have a smartphone until age 14, and when they do get a smartphone, parents should take the time to discuss with their children how to interact on the Internet and explain the consequences of doing various things. "The longer we can push off allowing our kids to be on social media, we are learning, the better. "I think lots of families are getting creative … landlines …. flip phones for kids [are] maybe an option so that they can have access to communicating without all the other things that come with smartphones."
Mint
25-07-2025
- Health
- Mint
Mental health at risk! Phones for kids under 13 ‘shape the way they think,' warn experts
Smartphones are influencing how children under 13, especially girls, think and develop, and experts have warned that this early exposure could lead to poorer mental health outcomes later in life. One of the study's authors, Tara Thiagarajan, said that more exposure to smartphones impacts younger children psychologically and alters the way they think and perceive the world. 'The younger the child gets a smartphone, the more exposure to all this impacts them psychologically and shapes the way they think and view the world,' she told ABC News. The study, published in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, analysed self-reported questionnaire results from more than 1,00,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24. It was based on questions about mental health symptoms, such as having aggression, feelings of detachment, hallucinations and suicidal thoughts. The study revealed that those who were given smartphones at an earlier age were associated with worse mental health outcomes. The study found that owning smartphones early, before 13 years of age, was associated with feelings of lower self-image and lower self-worth in both girls and boys. It resulted in lower emotional resilience and confidence for girls, while the boys reported feeling less calm, less stable, and less empathetic. Nearly 48% of young women who had smartphones by age 5 or 6 reported experiencing severe suicidal thoughts—compared to 28% among those who got their first phone at 13 or later. Among young men, the figures were 31% for early phone users and 20% for those who got phones at 13 or older. Experts have attributed the differences between women's and men's mental health symptoms to social media usage. Other factors that impacted the mental health outcomes were cyberbullying, poor sleep and poor family relationships. To protect children's mental health, experts urge restrictions on smartphone and social media use for those under 13, alongside better digital education and greater corporate responsibility. 'Ideally, children should not have a smartphone until age 14, and when they do get a smartphone, parents should take the time to discuss with their children how to interact on the Internet and explain the consequences of doing various things,' Tara said. According to the American Academy of Paediatrics, as cited by ABC News, families must follow the 5 C's of media use:
Hindustan Times
25-07-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Dangers of smartphone usage in kids below 13: Study reveals shocking details
Early exposure to social media comes with significant downsides. Without the maturity to process what they see or the filters to shield them from harmful content, children are vulnerable to mental health challenges and unhealthy body image issues. Also read | New research shows reducing screen time drastically improves your child's mental wellbeing in just 2 weeks Smartphone usage can affect children below the age of 13. (Shutterstock) In a new study published in Journal of Human Development and Capabilities on July 20, researchers analysed data from more than 100,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, to understand how social media usage can affect children below the age of 13. Findings of the study The questionnaires to the participants asked questions to understand the mental health outcomes of social media users. Mental health symptoms such as aggression, feelings of detachment, hallucinations, and suicidal thoughts were tracked in the participants. Tara Thiagarajan, one of the study's authors, told ABC News, 'The younger the child gets a smartphone, the more exposure to all this impacts them psychologically and shapes the way they think and view the world.' Also read | Screen time and children: When to introduce it and how much is appropriate Smartphone use in kids can lead to suicidal thoughts.(Pexels) The study revealed shocking details The study authors observed a steep increase of suicidal thoughts in young women who were exposed to smartphone usage at an early age of 5 or 6. in young men, 31 percent of them reported having suicidal thoughts when exposed to smartphones at the age of 5 or 6. 20 percent of the male participants who started using smartphones at the age of 13 reported having severe suicidal thoughts. Restrict social media usage for children below 13 The study authors recommended parents to restrict social media and smartphone usage in kids below the age of 13. 'Ideally, children should not have a smartphone until age 14, and when they do get a smartphone, parents should take the time to discuss with their children how to interact on the Internet and explain the consequences of doing various things,' Tara Thiagarajan told ABC News. Also read | Toddler to teenager: Know how excessive screen time can slow children's growth and development Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
