Heavy social media use linked to rising ADHD symptoms

ENGAGEMENT: A five-year study of more than 11 000 adolescents has found that problematic social media use may contribute to increased ADHD symptoms over time, with boys appearing particularly vulnerable during the mid-teen years…

By Sanjukta Mondal

Social media has become as much a part of our daily lives as eating or sleeping.

What started as a way for people to connect and share pictures has grown into a billion-dollar industry that shapes medical, political, and cultural narratives. Its algorithms are designed to keep people coming back, raising questions about how this constant engagement may affect the developing brain.

A recent study looked at how problematic social media use connects to ADHD symptoms in teenagers, tracking them over five years. People with ADHD deal with ongoing inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that can disrupt their daily lives and development.

After surveying over 11 000 youth, the researchers found a clear pattern: in years when teens showed more signs of problematic social media use, like constantly thinking about social media or feeling the urge to use it more, they tended to show more ADHD symptoms the following year. The reverse pattern, ADHD symptoms leading to later social media problems, was much weaker and less consistent.

The pattern of social media use leading to later ADHD symptoms was stronger in adolescent boys than in girls. However, girls with ADHD symptoms tended to struggle more with social media.

The findings are published in JAMA Network Open.

The reward system trap

ADHD is one of the most common disorders among young people, affecting about 7 million U.S. children, or 11.4%. Cases rose by 1 million between 2016 and 2022.

Large studies tracking big groups of people have found that using multiple types of digital media is linked to attention problems and broader mental health struggles.

These patterns are fuelled by how social media platforms are designed to hook the brain’s reward system. Features like likes and continuous scrolling offer endless chances to engage and create a sense of social rewards that are hard to resist.

These outcomes line up perfectly with certain ADHD tendencies, like reacting more strongly to instant rewards or struggling to wait for a bigger payoff later when a smaller one is available right now.

With social media use rising rapidly, researchers wanted to know whether a teenager’s own social media habits could predict later changes in ADHD symptoms.

For this study, the researchers ran what’s called a prospective cohort study, where they followed a large group of people over time to see how certain behaviours changed and influenced each other. Participants were about 12 years old at the start and were tracked into mid-adolescence.

The teenagers self-reported on a social media addiction questionnaire, answering questions about losing control, struggling to cut back, and feeling distressed when they couldn’t use social media. For the main part of the study, parents or caregivers rated the teenagers’ behaviour using a standardized checklist that measured things like impulsivity and difficulty concentrating.

The link between social media and ADHD was strongest between the ages of 14 and 16. At this age, teenagers often have more freedom online, even though the brain’s impulse-control system is still catching up with the reward system.

The researchers also noticed a difference in how ADHD symptoms were reported. After a year of heavier social media use, parents reported that their children had more problems with attention and impulsivity.

The teenagers themselves, however, did not report the same changes.

The findings make a case for doctors and clinicians to consider paying attention to problematic social media use when assessing young people, especially those with ADHD and other attention deficit issues.

The researchers, however, note that the effects were small and only showed up over limited time periods, so any broader clinical or policy conclusions should be drawn carefully. – Medical Xpress