Adolescents - GoKawiil

Study links early smartphone ownership to higher eating disorder rates in teens

A study published in JAMA Network Open found that children who owned a smartphone by age 12 were more likely to report eating disorder symptoms by age 14 than those without one. Researchers analyzed a large US cognitive development survey covering over 6,200 adolescents, finding that 24% of early phone owners reported at least one eating disorder symptom by 14, compared with 16% of non-owners.

futurism.com · 2026-09-29

Australia's under-16 social media ban forces platforms to verify user age

Governments are increasingly stepping in to curb youth social media use after years of relying on parents, schools and platform self-regulation, which proved insufficient. Australia became the first country to enact a nationwide ban on social media accounts for children under 16, covering ten platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube, while exempting messaging and gaming services like WhatsApp, Discord and Roblox. The law requires platforms to take reasonable steps to verify age and prevent account creation, though it does not restrict viewing public content without logging in.

spectrum.ieee.org · 2026-09-14