Smartphones have become an indispensable part of modern life, and they are finding themselves in the hands of younger and younger users. A Pew Research study reports that among kids younger than 11 who use a smartphone, 60% began use before they turned five.

However, a growing body of research shows that smartphones are detrimental to children and their developing brains – not to mention their self-esteem and mental well-being.

As a result, the Wait Until 8^th campaign urges parents to delay giving children smartphones until at least 8^th grade. Recognizing the social pressure both kids and parents face, “by banding together, this will decrease the pressure felt by kids and parents alike over the kids having a smartphone.”

Here are eight reasons to wait until 8^th grade to give your kid a smartphone:

Smartphones Are Changing Childhood

Kids are spending between 3-7 hours a day in front of screens. Smartphones are altering childhood itself, as playing outdoors, reading books, and hanging out with friends and family are being replaced by Snapchatting, watching YouTube, and checking in on Instagram and TikTok.

Smartphones Are Addictive

Smartphone apps and social media platforms are purposely designed to keep users coming back for more. One tech insider described what developers are doing as “brain hacking” or “programming people,” conditioning them to develop the habit of checking on social media.

Likes, follows, and retweets give users a dopamine rush, and dependence upon smartphones may lead to the same kind of dependence as gambling or alcohol addiction.

Smartphones Are An Academic Distraction

A host of research studies have documented the negative effects of smartphones on learning and academic achievement. One study by the National Institute of Health (NIH) showed that “children who spent more than two hours looking at a screen got lower scores on thinking and language tests.” Another study out of Rutgers University showed that smartphone use in class can lower students’ grades.

Smartphones Interfere with Sleep

Smartphones impair sleep in both children and teens, studies show, as kids stay awake waiting for replies to texts and social media posts. Lack of sleep directly and negatively impacts physical and mental health.

Smartphones Are Physically Changing Children’s Brains

Excessive smartphone, tablet, and video game use – 7 hours or more a day – is actually thinning the cortex of children’s brains, according to an NIH study of 11,000 children. The cortex is responsible for processing sensory information.

Smartphones Increase the Risk for Anxiety and Depression

A study of adults reported in Harvard Business Review “showed the more you use Facebook the worse you feel.” If that’s how adults respond, how much more dangerous is social media for children, who don’t yet have the skills to combat the inevitable social comparison and “fear of missing out” that arise when they view others’ highlight reels.  One report showed that “adolescents’ psychological well-being decreased the more hours a week they spent on screens.”

Smartphones Put Your Child At Risk for Cyberbullying

Smartphones have made bullying ubiquitous, as kids can no longer outrun bullies. Roughly one in four children has experienced cyberbullying, and about one in six has done it to others. Research shows that kids who receive smartphones in elementary school (ages 8-11) are more likely to be cyberbullied than those who receive them later.

Smartphones Expose Children to Sexual Content

According to one study, 42% of youth online have been exposed to pornography, the majority of those through online ads. Smartphones make children vulnerable to adult predators. As children are exposed to more sexual content, the number of kids engaging in sexting – sending explicit messages – has risen.

To learn more about kids, smartphones, and why tech executives are leading the charge to delay smartphone use, check out the Wait Until 8th campaign here.

Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash