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A group of medical researchers published an article in JAMA Network Open on September 25, 2026, in which it analyzed whether there was a relationship between the age at which a teenager received their first personal smartphone and the development of symptoms linked to Eating Disorders (EDs).
Data from 8,957 adolescents from 21 centers in the United States who participated in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study were analyzed. One of the findings showed that 12-year-old adolescents who owned a smartphone had a 61% higher prevalence of binge-eating symptoms. In addition, they were more than twice as likely to link their self-esteem to body weight.
What happens during adolescence and how does smartphone use affect it?
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), during adolescence the individual goes through numerous physical, hormonal, and social changes, and enters a more complex stage of transformation, in which they may feel confused by bodily changes and experience changes in their relationship with their surroundings, particularly with their family.
The emotional and social changes typical of this stage can increase vulnerability to certain risk situations, including EDs, addictions, or self-harming behaviors.
It is also a period in which the person begins to build their identity and recognize their likes and preferences, a process necessary for the transition to adulthood. However, the constant physical changes can also generate difficulties related to accepting one’s own image.
How is it related to Eating Disorders?
According to the research, due to the vulnerability characteristic of this stage, early access to smartphones and, particularly, to social media may be related to changes in the adolescent’s self-perception and may favor self-esteem being linked to body weight and physical appearance.
Constant comparison with other people’s images, which are often edited, distorted, or adapted to the digital environment, can affect the perception of one’s own image and be related to risk behaviors such as binge eating, compensatory behaviors to avoid weight gain, and excessive concern about body shape.
According to the study, in the United States alone, EDs are estimated to affect between 3.4% and 3.8% of adolescent girls and between 1.2% and 1.5% of adolescent boys.
Additionally, there are digital communities that share content that validates and promotes this type of perceptions and harmful eating behaviors, such as content known as “pro-ana,” “pro-mia,” “thinspo” or “fitspiration.”
In the group studied, it was observed that adolescents who had smartphones at age 12 showed, two years later:
- A 67% higher risk of developing binge-eating symptoms.
- A 50% higher risk of developing inappropriate compensatory behaviors.
- Approximately twice the risk of linking their self-esteem to body weight.
What behaviors did the researchers detect?
The researchers mainly detected four types of symptoms or behaviors related to EDs:
- Binge eating: episodes characterized by excessive food consumption.
- Inappropriate compensatory behaviors: aimed at avoiding weight gain.
- Concern about gaining weight.
- Linking self-esteem to body weight.
Among the adolescents studied who had a smartphone at age 12, 9.2% had binge-eating symptoms, 8.2% compensatory behaviors, 2% concern about gaining weight, and 2.6% linked their self-esteem to body weight. In other words, 16.1% had at least one of these four symptoms.
At age 14, 24.2% of those who had a smartphone at age 12 reported at least one symptom related to an ED.
What other conditions can be associated with early smartphone use?
According to the research and previous studies cited by its authors, early access to or problematic use of smartphones and other electronic devices has been associated with different health problems, including:
- Depressive symptoms.
- Sleep disturbances.
- Suicidal behaviors.
- Compulsive use of electronic devices.
In all these cases it is important to clarify that these are mainly associations observed in different studies and not a direct cause-and-effect relationship. Other factors, such as family or social problems, bullying situations, and mental health history, can also significantly influence these behaviors, without ruling out the possible role of the digital environment.
What Eating Disorders exist?
EDs are characterized by presenting persistent disturbances in eating and by an obsessive concern with weight, body image, and food.
Among the best known are:
- Anorexia nervosa: significant restriction of food intake, fear of gaining weight, and distortions of one’s own body.
- Bulimia nervosa: presents recurrent episodes of binge eating along with compensatory behaviors to avoid weight gain such as self-induced vomiting, fasting, or excessive exercise.
- Binge-eating disorder: recurrent episodes in which large quantities of food are consumed and there is a feeling of loss of control.
- Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder: limiting the amount or variety of food due to fear of certain consequences not necessarily linked to weight or body image.
- Pica: persistent consumption of non-nutritive substances such as dirt, paper, or similar materials.
- Rumination disorder: occurs when a person repeatedly regurgitates food after eating, possibly chewing it again, swallowing it, or spitting it out.
There are also people who experience significant symptoms but do not meet the criteria for a diagnosis.