US EditionSocial Media Linked to Attention Problems in Children
A four-year US study of 8,324 children links rising social media use to increasing inattention symptoms, with no similar effects found for TV or video games, researchers say.
- Recently, coordinated studies using the ABCD cohort tracked more than 8,300 US children and found social media use linked to rising inattention symptoms, published in Pediatrics Open Science.
- Platform design—frequent notifications and rapid feedback—may create distractions as social media use rises from half an hour at age nine to 2.5 hours by 13 on platforms including Instagram and TikTok.
- With controls for income and genetic risk, the analysis used the Youth Screen Time Survey and Child Behaviour Checklist, finding social media linked to inattention but not television/online video and video games.
- At the population level, they warned the modest individual effect could cause substantial population-level diagnostic impact, urging parents and policymakers plus platform designers and tech companies to improve age verification and parental guidance.
- Researchers will continue tracking the study cohort beyond age 14 to assess persistence of associations, while Australia plans to restrict accounts to users 16 and older from December 10, 2025.
29 Articles
29 Articles
Study says social media use may lead to lack of focus and increase ADHD like symptoms in children
A recent study tracking over 8,000 US children has found a connection between social media use and increased symptoms of inattention, suggesting a potential role in rising ADHD diagnoses.
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The Conversation
Social media, not gaming, tied to rising attention problems in teens, new study finds
The digital revolution has become a vast, unplanned experiment – and children are its most exposed participants. As ADHD diagnoses rise around the world, a key question has emerged: could the growing use of digital devices be playing a role? To explore this, we studied more than 8,000 children, from when they were around ten until they were 14 years of age. We asked them about their digital habits and grouped them into three categories: gaming, …
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