Is Early Mobile Phone Ownership Shaping Child Development? A longitudinal study of wellbeing among adolescent girls and boys in Ireland1. ESRI Research Bulletin February 2020/05

Dempsey, Seraphim and Lyons, Seán and McCoy*, Selina (2020) Is Early Mobile Phone Ownership Shaping Child Development? A longitudinal study of wellbeing among adolescent girls and boys in Ireland1. ESRI Research Bulletin February 2020/05. UNSPECIFIED.

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Abstract

Children are increasingly getting access to mobile phones at young ages, and commentators argue that these trends are having an adverse impact on children’s wellbeing and development. However, the evidence underpinning these claims is often limited, with a lack of robust analysis and data. The ubiquity of mobile phone technology allows it to have a potentially unprecedented impact on children’s development. It can easily cross into school and home settings; it is difficult for parents and teachers to supervise and monitor usage, as it accompanies the child throughout the day; and, consequently, the frequency of engagement with mobile phone technology is likely to be far higher for than other forms of technology. We use detailed data on 8,500 children in Ireland to examine whether there is an association between early mobile phone ownership and socio-emotional outcomes.

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