Teens who use digital devices are more prone to hyperactivity



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  Teens using digital devices are more prone to hyperactivity | Today's Chronicle

According to a study presented yesterday, teens who use digital devices are twice as likely to have attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ).

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 analyzed their habits. use of digital devices and the effects of these on their behavior.

"New mobile technologies can offer permanent access to fast, high-intensity stimulation, which has increased exposure to digital media far beyond what has been studied," said Adam Leventhal , professor of preventive medicine and psychology, director in addition to the laboratory of health, emotion and addiction of the USC School of Medicine.

"We can confidently say that teens who were exposed to high levels of digital media were significantly more likely to develop ADHD symptoms in the future," Leventhal said.

After excluding those with pre-existing ADHD symptoms, the 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 schools of Los Angeles County. .

After a six-monthly follow-up between 2014 and 2016 of 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 were presenting new symptoms of ADHD.

In contrast, 4.6% of students who did not use digital systems frequently did not have symptoms of attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder. Although the study does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship, it shows "a statistically significant association," noted Leventhal. 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.

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