A study showed that giving 10-year-olds screen time does not increase their risk of becoming suicidal later on, but it is actually those that become addicted to their phone that have a higher risk.

The study showed that at age 14, children with increasingly addictive behavior to their phones were two to three times more likely to become suicidal than their peers.

This study was conducted because phone addiction has become a public health issue, and teens in the U.S. spend an average of 4.8 hours on their phones every day. The study focused on 4,285 children and began when they were around 10 years old.

Dr. Yunyu Xiao, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, stated that “If there are early warnings, then for parents, it’s important to seek professional help for children with such addictions. We do not know if just taking away their phone will help. Sometimes it can create some conflict in the family, and that is even worse.”

Dr. Xiao says that the addiction can be hard to control before the child’s prefrontal cortex fully develops and interventions should mainly focus on the addictive behavior of the child.

The focus on addictive behavior in teens is important because it gives websites guides on policies.
Another study found that Black and Hispanic teens tended to display more addictive behaviors, especially those that come from poorer households and separated parents.

To combat screen addiction, many parents have parental controls on their children’s phones which requires them to be engaged in what their child is looking at, making is especially hard for low income or single parents.

Dr. Jason Nagata, an associate professor of pediatrics , says there is a connection between higher screen time at age nine and suicidal thoughts nearly two years later, with each hour of screen time increasing the probability of future mental health problems.

Jean Twenge who is a psychologist, concluded that the screen time for a 10-year-old reflects on their screen time as a 14-year-old. She states that it is best to keep your children off of social media until they are at least fifteen years old.