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Teens who spend a lot of time using digital media show a slight rise in the symptoms of Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), reports a new study. This does not mean that texting at the dinner table will ruin the future of a teenager; It simply means that if your child is a heavy media user, you should perhaps have a conversation about why he likes him so much.
Today 's study followed the symptoms of ADHD in a group of nearly 2,600 high school teens. Students who used several types of digital media several times a day were about twice as likely to report new ADHD symptoms over a two-year period as their less numerically active classmates, according to the study published today. 39, in the Journal of the American Medical Association .
Studies have linked digital media like social networks to changes in health mental before; The use of Facebook, for example, has been linked to welfare declines, but it's hard to say what's the cause. In studies on depression, one possibility is that depressed people who have trouble socializing substitute online interaction for interaction in the real world, which means that the Internet does not cause any depression . In today's study, it is possible that the emerging symptoms of ADHD lead children to the instant gratification of digital media. It could also mean that constant distractions from the Internet make it more difficult for teenagers to learn patience, impulse control and concentration, and that the lack of these things is characteristic of ADHD.
This study did not say whether the more frequent use of digital media caused the symptoms of ADHD or how these symptoms affected the lives of adolescents. But it shows that these children were using digital media before their symptoms started. "This is not a disaster scenario, it should not add to the moral panic about technology," says Jenny Radesky, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan who does not want to worry. did not participate in the study.But it is a reason for parents to talk to their children about their motivations and their reactions to the use of technology.
Michael Rich, the director of the Center on Media and Children's Health at Boston Children's Hospital, who also did not participate at the study, agrees. "We want to do more than just wring our hands and say: 'Oh me, oh my god. It's no longer the 50s, "he says. "Is this how we evolve as a species, and is it a bad thing to do, or will it be useful for the future?"
L & # 39; Study is the first to look at long term ADHD in the modern media environment, where smartphones provide distractions whether we like it or not. Researchers led by Adam Leventhal, a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California, studied graduate students in 10 different schools in Los Angeles County. More than 2,800 adolescents completed a questionnaire on ADHD symptoms and another on their use of digital media.
The ADHD survey asked students to evaluate whether statements like "I'm easily distracted" or "I do not listen when spoken to them directly" applied their. Students also completed a survey indicating how often they used 14 different types of digital media – like checking social media sites, texting friends, running TV shows or movies, or playing games.
Students who already had significant symptoms of ADHD in the first poll were eliminated from the study because the researchers wanted to know who came first: the symptoms of ADHD or the use of digital media . The approximately 2,600 students who did not have significant symptoms of ADHD continued and periodically resumed the same surveys over the next two years.
The team found that nearly 81% of students used at least one form of digital media several times a day (often social media or texting). With each additional digital media platform, students reported using frequently – such as streaming television or playing games – their chances of experiencing the symptoms of ADHD have increased.
The 495 adolescents who reported using digital media infrequently had a 4.6% chance of reporting ADHD symptoms in follow-up surveys. This probability almost doubled to 9.5% for the 114 students who reported using seven of the fourteen digital media platforms frequently. And it climbed to 10.5% for the 51 students who reported using the 14 platforms several times a day.
There are some clear limitations to the study: on the one hand, the use of digital media and ADHD symptoms were entirely self-reported. And people may be forgetful or reluctant to admit stigmatized symptoms and behaviors. The study also did not study what could be behind the increase in symptoms. But Leventhal and his colleagues have some theories. For example, phone notifications may divide children's attention and make it harder for them to develop the skills they need to concentrate, leading to a recovery of ADHD symptoms. It is also possible that entertainment and social stimulation with just a few clicks are enough to get kids used to instant gratification, making it more difficult to learn patience.
The relationship could work differently: perhaps early ADHD has led some teens to online distraction. But students who reported stronger symptoms of ADHD did not end up using more media, according to the study, which is a blow to this theory. It is also possible that something pushes teens to digital media and interferes with their ability to focus. "The most important are poverty or psychosocial stress or family dysfunction.All these factors are correlated with the intensive use of the media, and all are correlated with attention problems," says Radesky, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study.
So, as a parent, it might be logical to talk to your child if you are worried.This will give you more direct information about the time that you have. 39, they devote to digital media (and why.) Radesky suggested that parents who want to understand how to have this conversation should consult Common Sense Media.He used it to give advice on how to talk to teens about the sound use of social media.This could include limiting the time that teens can devote to social media applications by using a tool like application limits recently published by Apple.
The search is still early, says Leventhal. But with digital media continuing to grow, he says, "I just think it's something for health professionals, scientists, and the community at large to keep an eye on." Radesky says that & # 039; It is essential not to feel overwhelmed by the results. as if it ruined future children or fundamentally changed their ability to succeed in school. His recommendation? Speak right. "There are so many teachable moments in the use of technology because nobody knows the best way to do it – we all try to do it every day."
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