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Join today<\/a><\/p>\n \n Already a member? Your support helps us to tell the story<\/p>\n From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n Your support makes all the difference.Read more<\/p>\n Kids who have smartphones by the age of 12<\/a> may be more likely to report eating disorder symptoms<\/a> two years later, according to a new study.<\/p>\n Nearly a quarter of nearly 9,000 U.S. adolescents who had a smartphone at that age reported at least one symptom by age 14, such as binge eating<\/a>, disrupted sleep,<\/a> or tying self-worth to weight.<\/p>\n But fewer than 16 percent of those who don\u2019t have smartphones at age 12 reported disordered eating two years later. <\/p>\n The findings suggest that the timing of smartphone ownership may be linked to risk for eating disorders \u2014 which experts say <\/a>have been rising<\/a> in adolescents since the Covid-19 pandemic partly thanks to social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n Eating disorders, a group of mental illnesses that involve abnormal and unhealthy eating behaviors, leave people at greater risk of negative health consequences, including an increased risk of premature death.<\/p>\n \u201cA smartphone can put a world of appearance-focused content in a young person\u2019s pocket,\u201d Dr. Jason Nagata, the study\u2019s lead author and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, told CNN<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important for parents to be aware that getting a smartphone isn\u2019t just about the device. It can change a child\u2019s access to different content and exposures in the digital world,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n A March study in the U.K. found that overusing a smartphone was tied to disordered eating in teens<\/a>, too \u2014 though Nagata and his co-authors said future studies are needed to better understand any association seen in the new study.<\/p>\n The September study also found that 70 percent of 12-year-olds own their own phone, building on February research<\/a> that showed more than half of 11-12-year-olds<\/a> had their own phone.<\/p>\n Both studies used data from tweens and teens surveyed as part of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study: the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the U.S.<\/p>\n And a separate study<\/a> published by medical researchers in Philadelphia last December found that giving a kid a smartphone before age 12 could leave them at an increased risk of depression, obesity and insufficient sleep compared to their peers without the devices.<\/p>\n “Our findings suggest that we should view smartphones as a significant factor in teen health, approaching the decision to give a child a phone with care and considering potential impacts on their life and health,” Dr. Ran Barzilay, a child psychiatrist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said in a December statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Barzilay told Bloomberg<\/a> in June that age 13 \u201cseems safer.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Nagata told CNN that although his study doesn\u2019t provide an answer for what age is okay to give a kid a smartphone, it\u2019s important for parents to stay involved with their children\u2019s digital lives.<\/p>\n For preteens with phones, parents may want to think about establishing rules about phone use and regularly communicating with kids about online content, he said.<\/p>\n
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A girl uses her phone in the Spanish Basque city of San Sebastian in February. (Hans Lucas\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2259355120.jpeg\")
A girl uses her phone in the Spanish Basque city of San Sebastian in February. Experts stress that parents consider the health impacts of smartphones on their children (AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n