Don't give kids under 14 a smartphone, over 1,400 doctors and experts urge

Over 1,400 doctors, scientists, and experts have signed an open letter calling on the government to put an age limit on smartphones and social media. Children should not get a smartphone before they are 14 and should be banned from using social media until they are 16, they said.

The experts called it very concerning that it is becoming normal for children to get a smartphone at younger and younger ages. Having unfettered and constant access to the internet may have negative consequences for children’s physical and mental health, they warn.

They, therefore, joined the call of the parent initiative Smartphonevrij Opgroeien to put an age limit on smartphone and social media use. “Given the intensive smartphone and social media use among young people, the demonstrable physical effects, the indications of mental damage, and the lack of a guarantee of a structurally safe and suitable digital environment, it is time to revise the social principle,” Smartphonevrij Opgroeien said.

Dutch schools officially banned smartphones in classrooms at the start of this school year, in September 2024. Several primary schools had already done so earlier. They reported a clear increase in children’s ability to focus and socialise.