A young girl looks at a smartphone
A study found that people who got phones earlier in life report more mental distress as young adults — women especially who got phones as girls.
  • A study recirculating this week shows a depressing relationship between the age a kid first got a smartphone and mental health.
  • Women who used smartphones earlier in life reported far worse mental health as adults.
  • Bring back flip phones and AIM.

A chart picking up steam this week on social media might give parents of younger kids pause: Young adults who first owned smartphones in elementary school reported much worse mental health in adulthood than those who got the devices later in their teens.