Are young people sadder, angrier? New study blames smartphones

Younger the age at which one gets smartphone, the poorer their mental health, the study said

- Rhythma Kaul

Smartphones, previously accused of making people dumb, make young people sad and angry, a new study has claimed, calling for staggering the age at which people start using these devices.

The younger the age at which a person gets a smartphone, the poorer their mental health and well-being, said the report from Sapien Labs — "The Youth Mind: Rising aggression and anger" — released on Thursday. It added that the "feelings of aggression, anger, and hallucinations that are rising most sharply with each younger year are associated with the progressively younger age at which children are acquiring smartphones".

We are "in the midst of a youth mental crisis," it added on the basis of studying the mental health and well-being of 10,475 internet-enabled adolescents aged 13-17 across the US and India. The report's findings, while not surprising, are likely to generate debate. Smart phones have become the primary avenue to the internet for many young people, especially in developing (but digitally connected) countries such as India, and open windows to education that may otherwise be difficult to access. But they also expose young people to social media, with its attendant ills, and make them possible targets of online scamsters and predators. Australia, for instance, has banned children under the age of 16 years from using social media. India's own draft data protection rules released recently, require both age verification and parental consent for those below the age of 18.