A study links the hyperactivity of adolescents to the use of digital platforms

The report prepared by the University of Southern California (USC) and published in the scientific journal of the American Medical Association, tracked about 2,600 adolescents for two years and badyzed their habits. use of digital devices and effects

"New mobile technologies can offer full-day access to fast, high-intensity stimulation, which has increased exposure to digital media well beyond beyond what had been studied, "said Adam Leventhal, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Psychology, Director of the USC School of Medicine's Health, Emotion and Addiction Laboratory

" We can state with certainty that adolescents exposed to high levels of digital media were significantly more likely to develop ADHD symptoms in the future, "Leventhal said.

For people with pre-existing symptoms of ADHD, researchers selected 2,587 participants out of a total of 4,100 high school students, aged 15 and 16, selected from a representative group of Los Angeles County Public Schools .

2014 and 2016 with the use of 14 popular digital platforms among the selected students, the researchers found that on average, 10% of those who used these high-frequency platforms showed new symptoms of ADHD.

The percentage of students who did not use digital systems frequently did not show symptoms of attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder.

Although the study does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship, it shows "a statistically significant badociation". The researcher pointed out that the results "help fill a void" to understand how new mobile technology devices and their unlimited content pose a risk to children's mental health.

Source: EFE