The results of a large study of more than 8,300 American children showed that continuous use of social media is directly linked to a significant increase in symptoms of inattention and a severe decrease in the ability to focus deeply in children and adolescents.
Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and the Oregon Health & Science University announced that messages, notifications, and rapidly changing content on social media “continuously bombard children’s brains with information,” and this is the main factor in impaired concentration.
The average time children spend on social media has increased from 30 minutes at age 9 to 2.5 hours at age 13.
The rate of ADHD diagnosis in American children has increased from 9.5 in 2003 to 11.3 in 2022, and social media has been identified as a major factor.
This association is independent of family economic status or genetic factors.
Unlike social media, video games and watching TV do not have this effect because they require continuous focus on a goal.
