Children who own smartphones at age 12 face an increased likelihood of developing eating disorder symptoms by age 14, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers analyzing data from nearly 9,000 adolescents found that 24% of 12-year-olds with their own phones reported at least one symptom of disordered eating two years later, compared with less than 16% of peers who did not own devices at that age.
Smartphone Ownership and Adolescent Eating Behaviors
The research draws on data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, a long-term investigation into health and brain development among American children. Dr. Jason Nagata, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, and the study’s lead author, stated that smartphones place appearance-focused content directly into young people’s hands. Nagata explained that owning a device changes a child’s digital exposure and access to material that may foster unhealthy eating behaviors.
Worldwide estimates indicate that roughly 22% of children and adolescents show signs of disordered eating. While clinical eating disorders require specific diagnostic criteria, both conditions involve a fixation on food and weight, distorted body image perceptions, restricted eating, or compensatory behaviors such as purging or excessive exercise. Nagata’s team found that 70% of 12-year-olds in the study owned a smartphone. Those owners were twice as likely to tie their self-worth to their weight and 1.5 times more likely to attempt weight control through low-calorie diets or heavy exercise.
The Impact of Social Media and Digital Comparisons
The tween years represent a critical developmental stage marked by puberty and natural bodily changes. Adolescents frequently compare themselves to peers, but smartphones introduce curated, edited, and filtered images from online influencers. According to Nagata, these digital comparisons drive body dissatisfaction and lower self-esteem, which serve as risk factors for eating disorders.
While major social media platforms set 13 as the minimum age for account creation, prior research by Nagata indicates that nearly two-thirds of 11- and 12-year-olds maintain accounts on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Parental Strategies and Timing
Delaying smartphone access may protect adolescents from body image distress, according to Dr. Mitch Prinstein, the John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and co-director of the Winston Center on Technology and Brain Development. Prinstein, who was not involved in the study, noted that withholding devices for an additional six months or a year benefits adolescent mental health.
When providing children with smartphones, Prinstein recommends a gradual introduction to social media rather than granting unrestricted access. Nagata suggests implementing guardrails such as app download restrictions and keeping phones out of bedrooms to monitor digital activity and maintain parental involvement in a child’s online life.