A study reported Thursday suggests that children who own a smartphone at age 12 may face a higher risk of disordered eating and body image problems, according to The Washington Post. The finding centers on preteens, a group whose phone use has drawn growing attention from parents and researchers.
The Washington Post reported the study's results, which connect early smartphone ownership with unhealthy eating behaviors in this age group. Coverage of the research was also carried by CNN, which described the link as a possible increase in the risk of body image issues and unhealthy eating among tweens. Futurism covered the same findings, and The Independent framed the results as another reason for parents of preteens to pay attention to how much time their children spend on their phones.
The reports do not include the full details of the study, such as its sample size, methodology, or the specific measures used to define disordered eating. Based only on the available coverage, the research points to an association between having a smartphone at 12 and these outcomes, though the reporting summarized here does not establish that phone ownership causes them.
What to watch next: whether the study's authors or other researchers publish further details, and how parents, schools, and policymakers respond to the findings.
