DENVER — Children who have smartphones by age 12 are at a higher risk of obesity, depression and sleep deprivation. These are the findings of a new study published in the journal Pediatrics .

The study also found that the earlier a child receives a smartphone, the greater the risk of developing these conditions.

The team that conducted the study were made up of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University. They looked at data from 10,500 participants between the ages of 9 and 16 from 2016 to 2022.

The study showed that compared to 12 year olds who did not own a smartphone, those who did had a 1.3 times higher risk of depression, 1.4 times higher risk of obesity, and 1.6 times higher risk of insufficient sleep.

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