Social Media Use Linked to Attention Issues in Children

A new study indicates that children’s growing use of social media may be adversely affecting their ability to concentrate, potentially contributing to a rise in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) cases.

This peer-reviewed research followed over 8,300 children in the U.S. ages 10 to 14, finding a connection between social media engagement and heightened symptoms of inattention.

Conducted by researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Oregon Health & Science University, the study revealed that children typically spend about 2.3 hours each day watching television or online videos, 1.4 hours on social media, and 1.5 hours playing video games.

Interestingly, no correlation was observed between symptoms related to ADHD—like being easily distracted—and the time spent on video games or watching TV. However, prolonged social media use seemed to correlate with an increase in inattention symptoms. ADHD is recognized as a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impulsiveness, forgetfulness, and difficulties focusing.

The study authors stated, “We identified an association between social media use and increased inattention symptoms, interpreted here as a likely causal effect. While the individual effect size is small, it could lead to significant changes at the population level. This suggests that social media use may play a role in the rising number of ADHD diagnoses.”

Torkel Klingberg, a cognitive neuroscience professor at Karolinska, noted, “Our findings suggest that it’s social media that’s really impacting children’s concentration.”

He explained that social media constantly brings distractions—like notifications and messages—which might hinder focus. Even just being preoccupied with whether a message has arrived can be distracting.

The study highlighted that the ADHD link was independent of socio-economic status or genetic predisposition. Klingberg remarked that the rise in social media usage may clarify some of the increase in ADHD diagnoses, which went from 9.5% in 2003-2007 to 11.3% by 2020-2022, based on a national children’s health survey.

Researchers emphasized that not all children using social media would necessarily face concentration issues. However, they pointed out the trend of increasing social media use as children age, noting that many begin using platforms like TikTok and Instagram before the minimum age of 13.

The report stresses the necessity for more stringent age verification and clearer guidelines for tech companies regarding early social media engagement.

The study observed a rise in social media usage from approximately 30 minutes a day at age nine to two and a half hours by age 13. Children participated in the study at ages nine and ten between 2016 and 2018, and the findings will be published in the Pediatrics Open Science journal.

Samson Nivins, a postdoctoral researcher at Karolinska and one of the study’s authors, expressed hope that these findings will assist parents and policymakers in making informed decisions regarding healthy digital consumption, which is vital for children’s cognitive development.