Kids with smartphones reported higher well-being than kids without, study finds
FILE - A 14-year-old boy looks at an iPhone screen. (Photo by Anna Barclay/Getty Images)
A recent survey found that young people, in terms of wellness and health, tended to fare better than kids who didn’t own their smartphones.
On the other hand, how some kids use their smartphones, such as posting or scrolling through social media, could increase their chances of suffering from cyberbullying or depression.
"Our findings indicate that the effects of smartphone ownership are complex," said Wendy Rote, USF associate professor of psychology. "It’s what kids do with cell phones and challenges in regulating their device use, rather than merely owning a smartphone, that may cause difficulties or inversely benefit their lives."
11 to 13 year olds were surveyed
Dig deeper:
The Life in Media Survey, which is led by a team of researchers at the University of South Florida, surveyed more than 1,500 kids between the ages of 11 and 13 years old.
The survey was conducted between Nov. 12, 2024, and Dec. 9, 2024, and took about 25 minutes for each participant to complete.
Kids with smartphones fared better than those without
Kids who had their own smartphones had overall better social lives and a better outlook on life as opposed to kids who didn’t own one, according to the study.
By the numbers:
- Kids with smartphones spent more time with their friends in person.
- When asked whether or not they agree with the statement, "Life is meaningless," 18% of kids with smartphones agreed while 26% of kids without smartphones agreed.
- Kids who didn’t own smartphones were more likely to report being cyberbullied than kids with their smartphones.
- Smartphone-owning kids tended to feel better about themselves than kids who didn’t have one (80% v. 59%).
- Kids who owned smartphones were less likely to get angry than their counterparts.
- Kids with smartphones were less likely to report feeling depressed than those without one (21% v. 26%).
Social media was associated with negative impacts on kids
While physically having a smartphone to connect with friends and family wasn’t seen as having a negative impact on kids’ lives, opening the world of social media through a smartphone or tablet proved to be the most harmful.
Dig deeper:
Based on their findings from the survey, researchers advised that parents should discourage their young children from publicly posting on social media platforms.
- Kids who post or share their lives publicly online are more likely to report being depressed than those who don’t.
- Kids who post publicly online were also more likely to report anxiety symptoms.
- Kids who didn’t post their lives online reported getting better sleep than those who did.
The negative impacts social media has on kids’ lives are not lost on them, interestingly.
Heavy video gamers and heavy social media users were more likely to say that technology impairs their lives more than those who only occasionally participate in either.
One in three kids agreed with the statement, "Social media causes more harm than good."
More than half of kids also reported being cyberbullied at least once in the past three months since this survey was conducted.
Types of cyberbullying:
- Being called hurtful names
- Spreading lies/rumors about them
- Having mean or hurtful photos about them shared
Stop sleeping with your smartphone
One in four kids admitted to sleeping with their smartphones and got on average about 8.6 hours of sleep.
What you can do:
Doctors recommend kids between the ages of six and 13 should get about nine to 12 hours of sleep a night, according to Kids Health.
Even kids who sleep with their phones in the room but out of reach still don’t get enough sleep (8.9 hours).
Only kids who put their phones in a completely different room are able to average the bare minimum hours of sleep required (9.3 hours) for kids in this age range, according to researchers.
What they're saying:
"Experiences during childhood and adolescence can influence health outcomes later in life. This study will help us understand the impact of digital media use on sleep quality and mental health in adolescents, ultimately informing interventions to mitigate any harmful effects," said Chighaf Bakour, a USF College of Public Health associate professor of epidemiology.
Longer-term study planned
What's next:
Researchers are hoping to conduct an even larger, long-term study of about 8,000 children and track them across their lifespan to see what impacts social media and smartphones have on them.
What they're saying:
"Our data provide a snapshot of how the media influences young people in the moment. But many of the problems and benefits of media use accumulate over time, which is why it is essential to also conduct a long-term study to accurately assess the effects of digital media on well-being through an individual’s life," said Stephen Song, co-principal investigator and USF assistant professor of journalism.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from the 2025 Life in Media Survey conducted by researchers at the University of South Florida and Nemours Children’s Health website. This story was reported from Los Angeles.