Adverse Childhood Events, not age of Acquiring Smartphones or Tablets, Predict Mental Health in Young Adults.

This study examined what predicts mental health problems in young adults using data from nearly 81,000 people. Researchers looked at whether getting smartphones and tablets at a young age affected mental health, and separately examined exposure to adverse childhood events like abuse and neglect. The study found that adverse childhood experiences were a strong predictor of mental health difficulties, but the age at which young people first accessed smartphones and tablets was not. The authors conclude that concerns about screen age may be distracting from more serious causes of poor mental health.

Key points

• Exposure to adverse childhood events was predictive of mental health difficulties in early adulthood
• Age of first access to smartphones and tablets was not predictive of mental health outcomes
• The study included 80,878 young adults with a mean age of 23.3 years
• Professional advice to limit youth access to screens at young ages appears unsupported by this evidence
• Abuse, neglect, and parental mental health may be more pressing causes of mental health difficulties than technology access

Limitations

The study is cross-sectional and cannot establish causation. The dataset source and selection criteria are not fully described, and the study does not examine potential moderating factors or interactions between adverse events and screen exposure.