US EditionChildren Reporting Addictive Online Behaviour Suffer Worse Mental Health
UNITED STATES, JUN 18 – Addictive screen use linked to two to three times higher risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in US youths, while total screen time shows no such association, study finds.
- A study published June 18 in JAMA followed nearly 4,300 American children, aged nine to ten at the start, over four years to examine patterns of addictive behaviors related to video games, mobile phone use, and social networking platforms.
- The study emerged from concerns that rising use of digital technology among youth may contribute to mental health problems, shifting focus from total screen time to patterns of compulsive use.
- Researchers found that roughly 40% of children showed high or increasing addictive use of social media, about half had high mobile phone addiction from the start, and video game use showed only stable high or low trajectories.
- Children exhibiting high or escalating addictive behaviors related to social media or mobile phone use faced substantially increased odds—approximately double or triple—of experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions compared to their peers with low levels of such addictive use, whereas overall screen time showed no significant connection to mental health outcomes.
- The findings suggest policy should shift from limiting screen time to identifying and treating addictive use patterns, with calls for professional evaluation and clinical trials of targeted interventions.
19 Articles
19 Articles
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