Studies indicate that the rising usage of social media among children may hinder their concentration abilities and contribute to a rise in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

According to a peer-reviewed report, over 8,300 children in the US, aged 10 to 14, were studied, revealing a correlation between social media use and “increased symptoms of inattention.”

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Oregon Health & Science University in the US discovered that children typically spend an average of 2.3 hours daily watching TV or online videos, 1.4 hours on social media, and 1.5 hours playing video games.

No connections were found between ADHD symptoms—such as distractibility—resulting from video games, TV, or YouTube. Nonetheless, this study indicated a significant association between prolonged social media use and heightened inattention symptoms in children. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impulsivity, forgetfulness, and concentration difficulties.

The research concluded, “We found an association between social media use and increased inattention symptoms, which we view as likely causal.” They added, “Although the effect size may be small on an individual basis, it could lead to considerable impact on a population scale. These findings imply that social media might be contributing to the rising rates of ADHD diagnoses.”

Thorkel Klingberg, a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet, remarked:

“Social media is filled with persistent distractions, including messages and notifications. Even the anticipation of message delivery can be distracting. This may hinder one’s focus and could elucidate the observed correlation.”

The research discovered that the ADHD association was unaffected by socio-economic status or genetic factors. Klingberg noted that the increased social media use could clarify some of the surge in ADHD diagnoses. The U.S. National Survey on Child Health reports a rise in prevalence from 9.5% during 2003-2007 to 11.3% in 2020-2022.

The researchers emphasized that their results do not imply all children using social media experience concentration issues. They also observed that social media usage tends to increase as children age, with many starting before they reach the minimum age of 13 required for platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

“This early escalation in social media engagement underscores the necessity for stricter age verification and improved guidelines for tech companies,” the report stated.

The study found that social media usage rose from about 30 minutes per day at age 9 to approximately 2.5 hours by age 13. The children had been enrolled in the study between 2016 and 2018 when they were 9 and 10 years old. The findings will be published in the journal Pediatrics Open Science.

“We aspire for our findings to assist parents and policymakers in making informed choices about healthy digital consumption that fosters children’s cognitive growth,” stated Samson Nibbins, one of the study authors and a postdoctoral fellow at Karolinska Institutet.