That Smarts!: Smartphones and Child Injuries

Abstract

Abstract From 2005 to 2012, injuries to children under five increased by 10%. Using the expansion of ATT's 3G network, I find that smartphone adoption has a causal impact on child injuries. This effect is strongest amongst children ages 0-5, but not children ages 6-10, and in activities where parental supervision matters. I put this forward as indirect evidence that this increase is due to parents being distracted while supervising children, and not due to increased participation in accident-prone activities