Smartphone use leads to hallucinations, detachment from reality, aggression in teens as young as 13: Study

Smartphones are making teenagers more aggressive, detached from reality and causing them to hallucinate, according to new research.Scientists concluded the younger a person starts using a phone, the more likely they would be crippled by a whole host of psychological ills after surveying 10,500 teens between 13 and 17 from both the US and India for the study, by Sapien Labs.“People don’t fully appreciate that hyper-real and hyper-immersive screen experiences can blur reality at key stages of development,” addiction psychologist Dr.Nicholas Kardaras, who was not part of the team who did the study, told The Post.“Their digital world can compromise their ability to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not.

A hallucination by any other name.“Screen time essentially acts as a toxin that stunts both brain development and social development,” Kardaras explained.“The younger a kid is when given a device, the higher the likelihood of mental health issues later on.”The teens surveyed for “The Youth Mind: Rising Aggression and Anger” were significantly worse off than older Gen Zers in Sapien Labs’ database and the youngest ages were more likely to suffer aggression, anger and hallucinations compared to their older counterparts.A staggering 37% of 13-year-olds reported experiencing aggression, compared with 27% of 17-year-olds.Frighteningly, 20% of 13-year-olds say they suffer from hallucinations, compared to 12% of 17-year-olds.“Whereas today’s 17-year-olds typically got a phone at age 11 or 12, today’s 13-year-olds got their phones at age 10,” the report noted.Respondents also reported they could pose a harm to themselves.

42% of American girls and 27% of boys aged 13 to 17 admitted to problems with suicidal thoughts.The majority of teens polled said they had feelings of hopelessness, guilt, anxiety, and unwanted strange thoughts.More than 40% reported a sense of detachment from reality, mood swings, withdrawal, and traumatic flashba...