Research links smartphone use among young people to health risks
Dr. Marc Siegel responds to a new study on the risks of smartphones to children and a CNN host implying that President Trump fell asleep during a Cabinet meeting. He also previews his new Fox Nation special “Miracles Among Us,” based on his book.
It seems even a prince can’t escape the smartphone battle.
Prince William – one of the most recognizable figures in the world – recently revealed that keeping smartphones out of the hands of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis has become a ‘tense issue’. He said in a recent interview that “kids have access to too many things that they don’t need to see online.” He added that they instead spend time jumping on the trampoline, playing sports and trying to learn musical instruments.
It reminds us that, regardless of one’s status or position, every parent today faces the same challenge: how to protect childhood in an age of constant connectedness.
The prince is certainly not alone in his concerns and admits that it is “very difficult” to protect his children from the damage of social media and the digital world. A 2023 Mott Poll report found that overuse of devices and social media is the top health problem among parents nationwide.
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Prince William and his son Prince George during the military procession to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day on May 5, 2025 in London. (Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
Interestingly, some of the world’s top tech leaders — industry titans who helped create the devices and platforms that shape our digital lives — have also kept them away from their children. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates banned phones at the dinner table and didn’t let his children have their own phones until age 14. Apple’s Steve Jobs famously limited his children’s screen time and denied them unlimited access to the iPad. Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki only gave her children phones under controlled circumstances and took them on vacation. Even billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban has said his children live with strict tech limits.
Ninety-five percent of teens today have access to a smartphone, and nearly half say they are online “almost all the time.” So, what’s the concern?
Smartphones have fundamentally changed the way adolescents interact with the world. Play time has been replaced by screen time; face-to-face conversations via messaging apps. Eye contact and informal greetings are disappearing from everyday life. Children are gaining access to devices at a younger age. A 2025 report from Common Sense Media found that 51% of children aged 8 and under own a mobile device and use a screen for almost two and a half hours a day – and for children aged 5 to 8, that figure is almost three and a half hours.
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Excessive screen time doesn’t just steal childhood; it also harms the developing brain and bodies and is linked to sleep disorders, delayed language development, impaired executive functioning and social-emotional problems. There are even physical health risks, including obesity and high blood pressure, caused by sedentary screen habits.
The emotional toll is equally alarming. In “The Anxious Generation,” social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explains that the very device meant to connect us has become a driver of disconnection, loneliness, anxiety and depression – especially among girls. Constant notifications, online comparisons, and a constant fear of missing out or “FOMO” undermine attention, confidence, and happiness. Children are digitally ‘connected’, but increasingly isolated offline.
Not to mention the dark corners of the internet: online predation, sextortion, cyberbullying, child sexual abuse material, and AI-generated deepfakes that exploit children in devastating ways.
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Emerging risks continue to emerge. Teenagers, lonelier than ever, are increasingly replacing real human connections with AI companions. A whopping 72% of teens have interacted with AI at least once, and nearly a third use these platforms for romantic hookups, emotional support, and friendship.
Worryingly, these AI companions are increasingly involved in offering explicit sexual role-play, as well as harmful comments and dangerous ‘advice’. Parents have claimed that such interactions have contributed to serious emotional problems, including tragic cases of suicide among their children.
Excessive screen time doesn’t just steal childhood; it also harms the developing brain and bodies and is linked to sleep disorders, delayed language development, impaired executive functioning and social-emotional problems.
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Prince William’s decision reflects what millions of parents are quietly struggling with: how to safely raise healthy, connected children in a world designed to keep them scrolling. The question is: what do we do about it?
The solution must be collective. Schools are leading the way by banning or restricting smartphones during the day, helping students regain the focus and social interaction they’ve lost. Policymakers should demand greater transparency and accountability from technology companies, as well as effective age verification tools.
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Parents play perhaps the most crucial role: setting clear digital boundaries at home, enabling built-in safety settings, monitoring screen time and online activity, and delaying access to social media or smartphones until children are ready. If and when you decide to give your child a smartphone, make sure you understand the different types of phones — especially those designed for children and teens — and the safety features each offers. Together, these actions can restore the balance, human connection, and the kind of childhood we once took for granted before smartphones and pre-social media.
Let’s give our children the same gift that Prince William hopes to give his own children: a childhood based not on screens, but on real play, imagination and real connection.
