Why the smartphone before 13 years old seriously harms the mental health of children?

In 2023. Therefore, the average age of obtaining the first smartphone in France was 9 years and why smartphone before 13 years 9 months old. Consequently, This means that a large number of children have a phone in their hands from CE2. Therefore, CM1, right in the age of cognitive construction, learning and acquisition of relational codes. Nevertheless,

The parents’ reflex is often the same: geolocating, reassuring, keeping in touch. However, as many child psychiatrists hammer it, the smartphone is not content to allow calls. Meanwhile, He actually opens the door to an entire universe whose child has neither codes nor maturity to defend himself.

The sooner the impact, the terrible the impact. For example, This is precisely what an American study conducted by the NGO why smartphone before 13 years new Sapien Labs. For example, published on July 20, 2025 in the Journal of Human Développement and Capabilities and relayed by CNN. Therefore, why smartphone before 13 years new Additionally, For example,

Based on responses of more than 100. Nevertheless. Moreover, 000 young adults aged 18 to 24 from 163 countries. it demonstrates why smartphone before 13 years a direct link between the age of obtaining the first smartphone and mental health in adulthood. Consequently, The verdict is clear and clear: the more the phone is acquired, the more important the disorders.

Smartphone too early: obvious repercussion on mental health – Why smartphone before 13 years – Why smartphone before 13 years new

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The study reveals that girls having had a smartphone at the age of 6 have up to 48 %. of suicidal thoughts in adulthood. Moreover, compared to 28 % in those who why smartphone before 13 years new waited 13 years. Consequently, The boys are not spared. However, even if the forms differ: there is a marked drop in emotional resilience, empathy, and interior stability.

The risks identified go far beyond the simple passenger why smartphone before 13 years new discomfort. Consequently, They include anxiety disorders, low self -esteem, loss of link with reality, or even hallucinations in extreme cases. A child exposed too early to a smartphone sees his emotional development seriously altered.

Why the smartphone disruptes the brain of children – Why smartphone before 13 years new

A massive exposure to unsuitable. content – Why smartphone before 13 years – Why smartphone before 13 years new

The first danger is access. to content that the child is simply. not able to analyze. Social networks, violent videos, hate speech, early sexualization, false information: everything is within click. The child has neither why smartphone before 13 years new the perspective nor the tools to filter.

The algorithm does not make a difference between an adult and a child. Consequently, it is the most engaging content – therefore often the most shocking or extreme – which appear in priority. The consequences on self -image are immediate: permanent comparison. feeling of inferiority, quest for social validation why smartphone before 13 years new at all costs.

The trap of digital dependence

The smartphone is designed to captivate. Notifications, sounds, vibrations, likes, reels, stories: everything is designed to maintain attention. However, the brain of a child, still in development, is particularly vulnerable to these why smartphone before 13 years addictive mechanisms.

Researchers observe a spectacular drop in mental well-being in those who use their phone intensively before 13 years. On a scale up to 100. children equipped from 5 years old obtain a score of 1 to 3. against 30 to why smartphone before 13 years new 40 for those who waited for the start of adolescence.

Smartphones and social networks: what is the law in France?

A frame still too vague for social networks

In France. access to social networks is officially prohibited for under 13, but this rule is widely bypassed. You just have to lie about your age to create why smartphone before 13 years new an account. Tiktok, Instagram or Snapchat are thus frequented from the primary. And this, without any effective filter or parental control.

Faced with these drifts, denounced by a few rare collectives of frightened parents, timid reaction is emerging. On July 3. the government announced the ban why smartphone before 13 years on exposing children under 3 to screens in crèches. public reception places. A new step has been taken with the announcement of the extension of the digital break. tested in 200 why smartphone before 13 years new establishments in France. in all colleges at the start of the 2025 school year. in order to limit the use of smartphone in the school environment.

The ban on social networks before 15 years is mentioned. Just like that of the smartphone before 11 years old. as suggested by the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, in June 2024.

These measures, although insufficient for certain experts, why smartphone before 13 years new go in the right direction. They are inspired by what is already done elsewhere.

Other countries are already going further

Italy has recently prohibited the use of smartphones in primary schools. colleges, except for strictly supervised educational uses. This restriction will be extended to Transalpine high schools at the next why smartphone before 13 years school year.

In Scandinavian countries, public policies go even further. Sweden withdrew the tablets from all public nursery schools in why smartphone before 13 years new 2024. Finland, on the other hand, reintroduced learning on primary paper and formally advises against screens before 12 years.

These choices do not fall under digital conservatism. but from an enlightened reading of scientific data: fewer screens. it is more well-being, more concentration, more sleep, and less emotional disorders.

What to do as a parent?

Push back the age of the first smartphone

The researchers’ message is why smartphone before 13 years new. clear: no smartphone before at least 13. 14 years old. and if a need for contact is felt, opt for an old -fashioned phone, without the Internet or social network. This choice may seem radical, but it protects permanently.

Many parents who took the plunge testify to an improvement in family communication. better sleep in their why smartphone before 13 years child, and a return to healthier leisure.

Support and why smartphone before 13 years new supervise digital uses

If the child already has a smartphone, everything is not lost. It is essential to take clear rules: no screen in the evening, not in the bedroom, not at the table. Installing parental control tools is useful, but not enough. Dialogue remains the key. Understanding what the child looks at, with whom he interacts, what amuses him or anxiety is fundamental.

The ideal would be to introduce digital education from primary school. with workshops on algorithms, why smartphone before 13 years new fake news, online harassment, social pressure, etc. Because a well -trained child becomes a better armed teenager.

NAMELY

Last April. the French Pediatric Society published the following message. justifying a total ban on screens before 6 years: “This call for collective awareness is aimed at young parents. teachers, educators and pedagogues, caregivers, political decision -makers and all why smartphone before 13 why smartphone before 13 years new years those who are interested in the health of children. The truth is sometimes difficult to hear. Furthermore, The consequences of an early. prolonged exposure to screens are proven and have already heavily impacted a young generation sacrificed on the altar of ignorance … But in 2025, doubt is no longer allowed and the very numerous international scientific publications are there to remind us. Neither screen technology nor its contents, including those allegedly “educational” are adapted to a small developing brain. The child is not why smartphone before 13 years new an adult in miniature: his needs are different. »»