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Bottom Line: Frequent use of digital media may be associated with the development of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in adolescence but more research is needed to know if the association is causal.
Why The Research Is Interesting: Digital media, including texting, video chatting and social media sites, are accessible, constantly available on mobile devices and intensely stimulating. But whether frequent use of this modern digital media is associated with the occurrence of ADHD symptoms in adolescence is unknown.
Who and When: 2,587 Los Angeles County high school students without symptoms of ADHD at study entry who were surveyed five times from September 2014 to December 2016.
What (Study Measures and Outcomes): Self-reported use of 14 different digital media activities, such as checking social media sites and texting (exposures); self-rated frequency of 18 ADHD symptoms in the six months preceding the survey (outcomes).
How (Study Design): This was an observational study. Researchers were not intervening for purposes of the study and cannot control all the natural differences that could explain the study findings.
Authors: Adam M. Leventhal, Ph.D., University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, and coauthors
Results: Frequently using multiple forms of digital media was associated with a higher likelihood of ADHD symptoms occurring over a 24-month period during adolescence.
Study Limitations: A self-rating survey for ADHD symptoms is insufficient to determine an ADHD diagnosis; there also is the possibility of reverse causation (ADHD is associated with sensation seeking which could prompt digital media use to satisfy a need for stimulation); and undetected baseline ADHD symptoms cannot be ruled out.
Study Conclusions: Among adolescents followed up over 2 years, there was a statistically significant but modest association between higher frequency of digital media use and subsequent symptoms of ADHD. Further research is needed to determine whether this association is causal.
Expert Reaction
These comments have been collated by the Science Media Centre to provide a variety of expert perspectives on this issue. Feel free to use these quotes in your stories. Views expressed are the personal opinions of the experts named. They do not represent the views of the SMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated.
Dr Hannah Kirk is an NHMRC Research Fellow (Peter Doherty ECF) at Monash University
Symptoms of ADHD, involve inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive behaviours. These behaviours exist on a spectrum, with some individuals experiencing extremely heightened levels, such as those with ADHD, and others experiencing lower levels. These levels may fluctuate due to a number of factors such as age (e.g. are more common in childhood) or the environment.
This large-scale study from the University of Southern California indicates that one specific environmental factor (digital media) may increase the level of these behaviours. Data from 2587 high school students showed that higher use of digital media, such as checking social media sites, was modestly associated with higher frequency of self-reported symptoms of ADHD over a 2-year period.
Although this study highlights an association between digital media and behavioural symptoms typically associated with ADHD; it is important to note that ADHD has a strong genetic origin, is associated with distinct brain development and emerges in childhood.
Therefore, an increase in symptoms of ADHD in adolescents does not equate to the development of a clinical attention disorder. Greater research is required to establish the potential long-term negative and positive impacts that digital media has on the way we think and behave.
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