New research suggests that increased use of social media by children impairs their ability to concentrate and may contribute to the rising incidence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
A comprehensive study from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and the Oregon Health & Science University in the US followed over 8,300 US children for four years, beginning at age 9 or 10, to investigate a possible link between screen habits and symptoms related to ADHD.
Published in the journal Pediatrics Open Science, and reported by the Guardian, the study found that social media use over a period of time was associated with an increase in inattention symptoms, like being easily distracted, in children. While small at the individual level, the authors caution that the effect “could have significant consequences” at the population level. No such link was observed for watching TV or playing video games.
“Our study suggests that it is specifically social media that affects children’s ability to concentrate,” Torkle Klingberg, co-author and professor at the Karolinska Institute, said in a press release.
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“Social media entails constant distractions in the form of messages and notifications, and the mere thought of whether a message has arrived can act as a mental distraction. This affects the ability to stay focused and could explain the association.”
Over the four-year study, children reported how much time they spent on social media, watching TV or videos, and playing video games, while their parents assessed the children’s levels of attention and hyperactivity or impulsiveness. The time spent on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Messenger and X rose sharply, from an average of around 30 minutes a day to 2.5 hours.
The association between social media use and ADHD-related symptoms was not influenced by socioeconomic background or a family history of ADHD. The researchers note that children who already exhibited symptoms of inattentiveness did not start to use social media more, suggesting use causes attention issues rather than the reverse.
This doesn’t mean every child who uses social media is doomed to struggle with inattention. The researchers see their work as helping parents and policymakers make more informed decisions about healthy digital consumption that supports cognitive development in children.
