Study Links Addictive Phone Use in Teens to Higher Suicide Risk
A disturbing new study from JAMA Network has added to growing concerns about the impact of smartphone addiction among teenagers, directly connecting excessive screen time with higher instances of suicidal thoughts and severe mental health decline.
The study, which analyzed the mental well-being of nearly 50,000 young people aged 18 to 24 across 72 countries, found a clear correlation between early exposure to smartphones and deteriorating mental health.
The data revealed that young adults who received their first smartphone before the age of 10 were significantly more likely to report feelings of despair, anxiety, and even suicidal ideation by the time they reached adulthood.
For young women, in particular, the numbers were alarming: only 26% of women who received their first smartphone at age 6 reported positive mental well-being, compared to 61% of those who got their first phone at age 18.
The trend was similar for young men, with only 39% of those who received their first phone at age 6 reporting good mental health, compared to 60% for those who delayed access until adulthood. According to Sapien Labs founder Dr. Tara Thiagarajan, the findings suggest that early and prolonged exposure to digital devices may fundamentally impair the development of critical emotional and social skills.
“The impact on mental well-being is stark,” Thiagarajan explained. “We’re not simply seeing correlation—we’re witnessing the long-term cost of early immersion in a digital world.”
This research comes amid growing bipartisan concern over the mental health crisis among American youth, though cultural responses remain sharply divided. Conservatives and Christian leaders have increasingly warned about the spiritual and psychological dangers of unchecked technology use. Many point to the breakdown of the traditional family structure and the replacement of real-world relationships with curated digital interactions as key factors in this epidemic.
“Parents must wake up,” said Christian family advocate and author Jennifer Williams. “The enemy is not just out there—it’s in our homes, constantly buzzing and glowing in our children’s hands. We are allowing social media and addictive apps to form their identities.”
Williams, like many in the Christian counseling community, argues that the spiritual vacuum created by removing God from schools, homes, and public life has left teens vulnerable to despair. “We’ve taught a generation to look inward for truth and meaning, and what they’re finding in their hearts is confusion and emptiness—because they were made to look upward.”
The report backs this up with data showing that social skills, empathy, and connection with others decline the earlier and more intensively youth engage with phones. By the time they reach adulthood, many young people report feeling isolated, even in digitally hyper-connected environments.
While progressive voices tend to call for more regulation of social media platforms or increased government funding for mental health services, conservative experts are calling for something far simpler and more effective: parental authority and biblical discipline.
“The crisis we’re seeing is the natural outcome of a society that has outsourced parenting to algorithms,” said Mark Gibson, a youth pastor in Oklahoma. “We don’t need a federal commission to fix this—we need moms and dads who will say no to smartphones at 8 years old and yes to dinner around the table, prayer, and real-life conversations.”
Some public officials are beginning to echo those sentiments. In several red states, bills have been introduced to restrict smartphone use in schools and mandate digital literacy education that emphasizes the risks of excessive screen time. But such efforts often meet fierce resistance from powerful tech lobbies and education unions.
In the absence of national leadership on the issue, many churches are stepping into the gap, offering workshops for parents and teens on how to set boundaries around technology. Programs like “Screen Fast Sunday” and “Digital Sabbaths” are gaining traction, encouraging families to unplug and reconnect with one another and with God.
The Sapien Labs findings have also reignited the debate over the appropriate age for children to receive smartphones. Organizations such as Wait Until 8th, which encourages parents to delay giving smartphones until at least eighth grade, have seen a surge in interest as more data emerges on the harms of early digital immersion.
“The longer we can protect our children from digital dependency, the better chance they have at forming healthy minds and hearts,” said Dr. Brian Hummel, a Christian psychiatrist. “God designed us for relationships, not notifications.”
With teenage depression, anxiety, and suicide rates continuing to climb, many conservative and faith-based leaders argue that it’s time for a moral and cultural reset—one that puts God, family, and real-world community back at the center of adolescent life.
“Teenagers today are not broken,” said Williams. “They’re overwhelmed by a world that promises connection but delivers emptiness. We need to teach them where true peace comes from—and it’s not in their pocket. It’s in the Word of God.”
As evidence continues to mount linking smartphones and social media addiction to serious mental health outcomes, the call is growing louder for parents, pastors, and policymakers to take action. The lives of the next generation may well depend on it.