Having a personal smartphone at age 12 is linked to a higher likelihood of developing eating disorder symptoms later on, according to infohub.kz.
American researchers analyzed data from a large project covering 8,957 adolescents. They compared the health of children who received their own smartphone at age 12 with that of peers who did not have personal devices.
By age 14, smartphone owners had a 49% higher risk of developing eating disorder symptoms. In particular, the likelihood of binge-eating episodes was 67% higher among phone owners compared with those who did not have a personal device.
In addition, among adolescents with personal devices, the specialists noted a more pronounced unhealthy attachment of self-esteem to body weight and shape. A smartphone provides constant access to social media and content featuring idealized beauty standards, which pushes toward dissatisfaction with one's appearance and disordered eating.
The authors emphasize that buying a smartphone does not directly cause the illness, but the device acts as a catalyst. The researchers recommend that parents take these risks into account when deciding whether to buy a personal device and pay closer attention to what content their child consumes.