Kids who own smartphones before age 13 have worse mental health outcomes: Study

Methodology, Causation, and Study Quality

• Multiple commenters distrust the cited research, criticizing self-reported survey data (Global Mind Data) as weak and unfit for causal claims.
• Several emphasize correlation vs causation: worse outcomes might stem from pre-existing issues, parenting quality, or other factors, with phone ownership just a proxy.
• Similar concerns are raised about cat–schizophrenia studies: inconsistent results, confounders, and low-quality evidence are highlighted as a warning about over-interpreting correlations.

Smartphones vs Social Media vs “The Internet”

• Many argue the real problem is social media, infinite feeds, and attention-optimizing algorithms, not smartphones as hardware.
• Others point out that doomscrolling on a PC is also harmful, but phones are uniquely dangerous because they are always on-hand, full-screen, notification-heavy, and optimized for addictive use.
• Some note that early internet use (pre-streaming, pre-short-form video) felt less harmful than today’s algorithmic platforms.

Devices, Habits, and Design

• Several commenters distinguish smartphone use from tablet/PC use: larger, stationary devices introduce friction, which reduces compulsive use.
• Others find the opposite—phones are used mainly for practical tasks while bigger screens are where time gets wasted.
• People mention strategies like disabling app stores, using “dumb” or locked-down phones, or removing social media entirely. Reported benefits include better sleep, less anxiety, more reading, and less exposure to depressing news.

Parenting, Control, and Age Limits

• Some see early smartphone ownership as a proxy for low parental engagement; others stress that limiting kids’ phone use requires constant, exhausting effort.
• Anecdotes describe kids energetically circumventing parental controls and the difficulty of blocking TikTok/Instagram/YouTube.
• A few advocate hard bans until 8th grade or even 18; others suggest treating smartphones like alcohol, driving, or gambling with age-based restrictions, though enforcement and fairness are debated.

Broader Concerns

• Comparisons are made to tobacco: a widespread, normalized product with long-term public health effects.
• Several posters who struggle with anxiety/ADHD/depression report that aggressively reducing phone/screen use has been one of the most effective interventions.