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Early smartphone ownership linked to increased obesity, depression and sleep issues in kids.

For each year younger at which kids received smartphones, health risks increased significantly.

Professionals recommend cautious consideration of smartphones' health implications before giving to children.

A new study suggests that giving kids their own smartphone before age 12 is linked to a higher risk of obesity, depression and too little sleep by early adolescence.

Researchers analyzed data from 10,588 children in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study and compared 12-year-olds who owned a smartphone with those who did not, according to findings published this week in the journal Pediatrics.

At age 12, kids with smartphones were about 40% more likely to be obese th

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