Smartphones could be putting your kids at risk

Parents often are conflicted about getting smartphones for their children at younger ages. Kentaroo Tryman/Getty Images

Like many parents, Nicole Cannon faces a dilemma: If she gets her 13-year-old son the smartphone he wants, she worries that it will monopolize his attention at the expense of other things, including his responsibilities, outdoor time, and even the need to eat.

Her son already has an iPad, and Cannon notices he often wants to use it instead of going outside and playing sports.

A sleep consultant who lives in Cranbury, New Jersey, Cannon is also concerned her son would lose out on sleep. “What if he’s getting that dopamine high from the things he’s doing on his phone all the time, and then his body can’t regulate the hormones for sleep overnight?” she said.

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