Key takeaways:
- Higher social media use in childhood was associated with increasing inattentive ADHD symptoms over time, while other digital media types showed different symptom patterns.
- Video gaming and television or video viewing were linked to decreased hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms, contrasting with the effects seen for social media use.
- Genetic risk for ADHD modified the relationship between social media use and symptom trajectories, highlighting individual differences in vulnerability.
Data published in Pediatrics Open Science has indicated increased odds of inattentive symptoms over time among children with significant social media use.1
A significant rise in the prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been reported in children, from 9.5% between 2003 and 2007 to 11.3% between 2020 and 2022.2 Digital media (DM), including social media, has been considered as a potential factor leading to a negative impact on attention.1
“There are indications of associations between different types of DM use and ADHD symptoms, but the literature is inconsistent,” wrote investigators.
ADHD assessments
The study was conducted to assess longitudinal associations between types of DM use and ADHD symptoms. Data was obtained from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, a trial including 11,875 children born from 2005 to 2009 and recruited when aged 9 to 10 years.
Exclusion criteria included being born extremely preterm, birthweight under 1200 g, a lack of proficiency in English, contraindications to brain scans, neurological disorders, and a history of seizures. Follow-up occurred for up to 4 years, with ADHD symptoms assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).
Responses to the CBCL were rates on a 3-point Likert scale, with greater scores indicating more often true. Subcategories of ADHD symptoms included inattentive and hyperactivity-impulsivity. These were determined using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 criteria.
Measurement of digital media use and participant characteristics
The Youth Screen Time Survey was completed across multiple visits to determine time spent on social media, playing video games, or watching television or videos. Children were asked to report the number of hours spent on each category of digital media use on a “typical” weekday and “typical” weekend day.
Investigators also performed genotyping using saliva samples collected at the baseline visit. Covariates included age, sex assigned at birth, socioeconomic status, study sites, polygenic scores for ADHD (PGS-ADHD), and the first 10 genetic principal components.
There were 8324 children aged a mean 9.9 years included in the final analysis, 53% of whom were male. An average of 1.4 hours per day spent on social media was reported in this cohort, alongside an average 1.5 hours per day playing videogames and an average 2.3 hours per day watching television or videos.
Associations between digital media use and ADHD symptoms
A significant association was reported between the average use of playing video games or watching television or videos and decreased hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms over time. However, social media use was linked to an increase in inattentive symptoms over time (social media × time: β [SE], 0.03 [0.01]; P < .001).
Investigators also noted a significant 3-way interaction between social media use, time, and PGS-ADHD with combined ADHD symptoms (social media × time × PGS-ADHD: β [SE], −0.04 [0.01]; P = .002). This highlights differences in the association between social media use and ADHD symptoms over time based on PGS-ADHD.
There was also a link between average social media use and increased inattentive symptoms (β [SE], 0.15 [0.03]; P < .001). However, the threshold for a relevant cumulative effect size was not reported for the link between time spent watching television or videos and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms, nor the link between playing video games and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms.
Implications
Overall, this data indicated a causal effect between social media use and increased inattentive symptoms. Investigators concluded there may be a link between social media use and the rising incidence of ADHD, necessitating future research about the underlying mechanisms behind this association.
“Although the effect size is small at an individual level, it could have significant consequences if behavior changes across population level,” wrote investigators.
References
- Nivins S, Mooney MA, Nigg J, Klingberg T. Digital media, genetics, and risk for ADHD symptoms in children: a longitudinal study. Pediatrics Open Science. 2026;2(1):1-10. doi:10.1542/pedsos.2025-000922
- Reuben C, Elgaddal N. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children ages 5–17 years: United States, 2020–2022. NCHS Data Brief. 2024;499:1–9. doi:10.15620/CDC/148043
