Phones, Social Media & Teen Mental Health
France, Australia and the courts. A Pediatrics study links preteen smartphone ownership to depression and lost sleep.
Jalen Park
Governments and schools around the world are debating bans or restrictions on phones and social media for teenagers because of mental-health concerns. France is pushing to ban phones in high schools, and Australia is preparing a law to block apps like TikTok/Instagram for under-16s.
A new study to be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Pediatrics found that preteens who own smartphones are more likely to have depression, obesity, and insufficient sleep than their peers, per Axios' Maya Goldman. Australia this month will become the first major democratic nation to ban children under 16 from popular apps such as TikTok and Instagram.
In the U.S., federal measures meant to protect kids online have failed in recent years to become law, in part due to heavy lobbying and pushback citing kids' First Amendment rights.
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