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\n Editor\u2019s note:\u00a0 If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, help is available. Dial or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org<\/a> for free and confidential support.\n<\/p>\n \n Parents should avoid preteens\u2019 use of smartphones and social media, according to new research. A study released Monday found that using smartphones before age 13 could damage kids\u2019 mental health<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n Smartphone use by children younger than 13 was associated with suicidal thoughts, worse emotional regulation, lower self-worth and detachment from reality, especially among girls, according to the study, which was published in the Journal of the Human Development and Capabilities.\n <\/p>\n \n For every year before age 13 that a person acquired a smartphone, their mental health and well-being were likely to be lower, the study found.\n <\/p>\n \n That\u2019s likely because the kids who used smartphones before turning 13 accessed social media more and experienced sleep disruptions, cyberbullying and negative family relationships, according to the study. The data is based on self-reports in a survey of nearly 2 million people in 163 countries.\n <\/p>\n \n The results were so stark that the researchers called for global restrictions to prevent children younger than 13 from using smartphones and social media.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThis calls for urgent action limiting access of children under 13 to smartphones as well as more nuanced regulation on the digital environment young people are exposed to,\u201d said lead study author Tara Thiagarajan, founder and chief scientist of Sapien Labs, the nonprofit that runs the survey.\n <\/p>\n \n While previous research focused on how smartphone use is related to anxiety and depression, this survey looked at symptoms not commonly studied, including emotional regulation and self-worth, and found they are very significant, said Thiagarajan, who is based in Arlington, Virginia.\n <\/p>\n \n The results were self-reported, which means they weren\u2019t independently verified by researchers. In addition, the study can\u2019t pinpoint what types of smartphone use drove the results and can\u2019t account for how they might change as technologies evolve, Thiagarajan said.\n <\/p>\n \n Still, this research certainly has me convinced it\u2019s a terrible idea to give kids smartphones before age 13. When I speak to parents in schools, parent groups and other community spaces, I suggest not letting kids use social media until age 16. Solid research<\/a> out of the United Kingdom shows that using social media during puberty is associated with lower life-satisfaction a year later.\n <\/p>\n \n Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt also suggested waiting until age 16 to let kids use social media in his best-selling book \u201cThe Anxious Generation<\/a>: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n While it may seem near impossible to hold off this long, it won\u2019t be if we talk to the parents of our kids\u2019 friends and collectively agree not to allow our children to use social apps until this age.\n <\/p>\n \n In all of my talks across the country as an expert on how social media affects women and girls, I have yet to meet a single parent or guardian who has said they\u2019re excited for their kid to use social media. Instead, they worry their kids will be deprived of social opportunities if they\u2019re not on social media. That\u2019s why getting the parents of their friends involved is the key.\n <\/p>\n![\"Kids](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/gettyimages-1213627011-20250720191538348.jpg\")
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