Research Hub

Evidence that underscores the urgency of protecting children’s critical developmental years and the growing movement to help them thrive.

"We all agree that young people should reach a certain age before they smoke, drink, or access adult content. The same can be said for social media."

— President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen
" I know that most senior people in tech, certainly in Silicon Valley, do not let their children on social media.... It says a lot."

— Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney
"Digital platforms are taking advantage of children’s vulnerabilities, leading to compulsive internet use, diminished self-worth, body dysmorphia and self-harm."

—Dr. Charlotte Hepburn Moore, SickKids Child Health Policy Accelerator
"Research confirms what educators have long known: smartphones and social media are dismantling the foundations of learning by stunting critical thinking, problem-solving, and social development."

— Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario
"Today, social media addiction is a significant and increasing issue. For example, in Ontario, 78% of students aged 12–18 exceed 3+ hours a day on platforms."

— Canadian Medical Association
"13 is too early … It’s a time where it’s really important for us to be thoughtful about what’s going into how they think about their own self-worth and their relationships. And the skewed and often distorted environment of social media often does a disservice to many of those children."

— Former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

What the Research Shows:

Early Smartphone Use

Smartphones impair sleep. High proportions of youth engage in heavy smartphone use and media multitasking, with resultant chronic sleep deprivation, and negative effects on cognitive control, academic performance and socioemotional functioning.
Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2020
Smartphones can negatively impact mental health. Individuals who received smartphones each year before the age of 13 show higher levels of suicidal thoughts, aggression, and hallucinations, along with reduced emotional resilience and self-image.
Sapiens Lab, 2025
Smartphones get in the way of real-life connections and experiences. Findings point to a cumulative developmental impact of early smartphone exposure on mental functioning, impacting family relationships.
Sapiens Lab, 2025
Smartphones fragment attention. Screen-based attention spans have declined from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to just 47 seconds in recent years.
Dr. Gloria Mark, UC Irvine
Smartphones are designed to be addictive. Apps and social media are deliberately designed to hack vulnerabilities in young people’s psychologies, leading to an inability to enjoy anything else. “The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation”.
Anna Lembke, 2021
Smartphones are a gateway to online harms. Smartphones provide constant access to platforms where youth may encounter self-harm content, cyberbullying, and social comparison.
Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2020
Smartphones make kids vulnerable to cyberbullying. 31% of Canadian youth report having been cyberbullied — online bullies "follow victims everywhere they have their phone."
RCMP Gazette, 2022

What the Research Shows:

Youth Social Media Use

Social media intentionally creates compulsive use. 1 in 7 girls in grade 9-10 have signs of addiction, and more than half use social media “all the time”. This is by design.
Quebec Select Committee on Screens and Social Media on Young People’s Health and Development Report, 2025; Public Health Agency of Canada, 2025
Social media is the sharing of user-generated content. There is no quality control on this unsolicited feed. Nothing about this is child-safe.
Social media connects kids to strangers for luring. 44% of teens were pressured to send sexual images of themselves, mostly through social media. With cases of extreme coercion up 6.4x since 2023, and the RCMP issuing warnings.
C3P, 2026; Canadian Centre for Child Protection, 2026; RCMP, 2024
Social media spreads rage. Misinformation spread is rampant, while emotionally polarizing content is used to hook attention. It grooms kids into extreme views.
Ofcom, 2023; Topoi, March 2024; BBC, 2026; RCMP, 2023; RCMP, 2025
Social media affects youth health. Self-harm, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and low self-worth are all directly linked to social media use.
CMJA, 2020; JAMA, May 2025; JAMA Pediatrics, 2026
Social media is asocial. Heavy social media use is linked to loneliness and it encourages dangerous behaviour like risky diets and stunts.
Public Health Agency of Canada, 2025
Social media disrupts sleep. Social media use is linked to shorter sleep, later bedtimes, and more daytime fatigue — especially among girls.
Public Health Agency of Canada, 2025
Social media impacts learning. Heavy social media use correlates with lower grades.
The Journal of Primary Prevention, 2019
Social media platforms exploit kids data. They often don’t enforce their own age minimums, instead using age data to target ads.
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, 2025; CNBC, 2023

Advocate 16+ for Social Media

Pledge to Delay Smartphones Until 14+

Research Hub

"We all agree that young people should reach a certain age before they smoke, drink, or access adult content. The same can be said for social media."

" I know that most senior people in tech, certainly in Silicon Valley, do not let their children on social media.... It says a lot."

"Digital platforms are taking advantage of children’s vulnerabilities, leading to compulsive internet use, diminished self-worth, body dysmorphia and self-harm."

"Research confirms what educators have long known: smartphones and social media are dismantling the foundations of learning by stunting critical thinking, problem-solving, and social development."

"Today, social media addiction is a significant and increasing issue. For example, in Ontario, 78% of students aged 12–18 exceed 3+ hours a day on platforms."

"13 is too early … It’s a time where it’s really important for us to be thoughtful about what’s going into how they think about their own self-worth and their relationships. And the skewed and often distorted environment of social media often does a disservice to many of those children."

What the Research Shows:

Early Smartphone Use

What the Research Shows:

Youth Social Media Use

Unplugged Canada