Study links social media use to falling attention in children
A study published in Pediatrics Open Science has found that children who spend significant time on social media show a gradual decline in their ability to concentrate.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Oregon Health & Science University followed 8,324 children in the USA from the age of nine or ten through to 14.
Children reported how much time they spent on social media, watching television or online videos, and playing video games.
Their parents assessed levels of inattention and hyperactivity or impulsiveness.
The researchers reported that social media use was associated with a gradual rise in inattention.
No similar association was found for watching television or playing video games.
The study included platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter and Messenger.
Professor Torkel Klingberg said, “Our study suggests that it is specifically social media that affects children’s ability to concentrate.” He said, “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.”
The study found that the association was not influenced by socioeconomic background or genetic risk for ADHD.
Researchers also reported that children who already showed inattentive symptoms did not go on to use more social media.
The findings showed no increase in hyperactive or impulsive behaviour. According to the researchers, the effect on individuals was small, although the impact could be significant at population level.
Professor Klingberg said, “Greater consumption of social media might explain part of the increase we’re seeing in ADHD diagnoses, even if ADHD is also associated with hyperactivity, which didn’t increase in our study.”
Researchers noted that the results do not mean all children who use social media will have difficulties with concentration.
The average time spent on social media in the study increased from about 30 minutes a day at age nine to around 2.5 hours at age 13.
The first author, Samson Nivins, said, “We hope that our findings will help parents and policymakers make well-informed decisions on healthy digital consumption that support children’s cognitive development.”
The team intends to follow the participants beyond age 14 to see if the association continues.
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