New study finds social media use may impair children’s ability to concentrate and increase ADHD-related symptoms
Side effects of unchecked exposure to social media on children are well-documented. The negative effects range from dealing with attention problems to grappling with poorer short-term memory recall. A recent study has now shed some light on this much-talked-about topic. Researchers at Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Oregon Health & Science University in the USA looked into a potential link between screen habits and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related symptoms. The study suggested that social media affects children’s ability to concentrate.
Effect of social media on children
Researchers used data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study, tracking children each year for four years. They followed more than 8,000 kids, starting around age 10 and continuing until about age 14. In total, the study included 8,324 children, with an average age of 9.9 years and 53 percent of them boys. The kids reported how much time they spent on social media, video games, and TV using the Youth Screen Time Survey.
Children who spent a lot of time on apps like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter or Messenger gradually showed more inattention symptoms. The study found no similar link for kids who watched TV or played video games.
“Our study suggests that it is specifically social media that affects children’s ability to concentrate,” says Torkel Klingberg, professor of cognitive neuroscience at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet.
“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,” added Klingberg.
What study concludes
It is claimed that in the study, the average time spent on social media jumped up from approximately 30 minutes a day for nine-year-olds to 2.5 hours for 13-year-olds, despite the fact that many platforms have set their minimum age requirement at 13. The conclusions of the paper stated that social media use was associated with an increase in inattention symptoms in children over time.
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Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition
