technology focus

Does screen time create adhd symptoms?

For many students, screen time is a daily reality—whether for school, social media, or entertainment.  A previous post discussed how more than 1 hour per day of screen time for entertainment negatively impacts mental health (1). Yet gen Z averages about 7 hours of screen time per day! (2)

A new study published in Translational Psychiatry (Nature) highlights how screen time is linked to ADHD symptom development, with brain structure playing a mediating role (3).

What Was the Study? (3)

  • Researchers analyzed large-scale longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, followed 10,116 children at baseline (ages 9–10) and 7,880 children at a two-year follow-up (3)
  • They examined how screen time related to ADHD symptoms and whether changes in brain structure explained this relationship (3)

What Were the Results? (3)

  • Higher levels of daily screen use were associated with increased ADHD symptoms (3)
  • Differences in brain regions tied to attention and impulse control mediated the relationship between screen time and ADHD (3)
  • The impact of screen time wasn’t static—it influenced how ADHD symptoms evolved as children grew (3)
  • They found that passive use (like scrolling) had stronger negative associations with inattention than interactive or educational use (3)

What Does This Mean?

  • This study suggests that screen habits can shape both behavior and brain development.
  • While technology is unavoidable in modern life, excessive or unstructured screen time may contribute to attention difficulties.
  • For students, this means being mindful of how digital habits affect focus, learning, and long-term mental health.

There are many strategies to use technology in healthy ways (4, 5) some of them include:

  • Set limits: Limit technology for entertainment to 1 hour per day (5)
  • Disconnect, pause, breathe and collect yourself: Instead of grabbing your phone during spare time, disconnect from electronics to reflect, recharge, relax; and collect yourself (6)
  • Schedule screen free time for nutritious meals and atleast 8 hours of sleep as this can benefit many aspects of physical and mental health
  • Physical activity: Movement, exercise, playing sports can also help address the negative mental health effects of excessive sedentary behavior and screen time
  • Mindful technology use: Instead of mindless “infinite” scrolling, consider your goal before starting a device or program (4)
  • Schedule time to connect with others

By Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA
OSU-CCS Psychiatrist
Contact: patel.2350@osu.edu

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

    1. https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/?paged=3
    2. Moody, R. (2022, March 21). Screen Time Statistics: Average Screen Time in US vs. the rest of the world – Comparitech. www.comparitech.com. https://www.comparitech.com/tv-  streaming/screen-time-statistics
    3. Shou, Q., Yamashita, M., Mizuno, Y. (2025). Association of screen time with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and their development: the mediating role of brain structure. Translational Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03672-1
    4. Ballard D. Connected and content: Managing healthy technology use. American Psychological Association.  https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-technology-use
    5. Patel R. Mental Health For College Students Chapter 8. Technology, media, and mental health.
    6. https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/?p=855

 

Focus problems from social media?

According to a recent survey, U.S. teens spend 4.8 hours per day using seven popular social media apps, with YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram accounting for 87% of their social media time, and specifically, 37% of teens say they spend 5 or more hours a day, 14% spend 4 to less than 5 hours a day, 26% spend 2 to less than 4 hours a day, and 23% spend less than 2 hours a day on these three apps (1,2,3).

Too much screen time is also not good for mental health.  For example, Zhai and colleague’s review of 24 studies shows that too much screen time (> 6 hours per day) can impact depression (1).  Similarly, a review of 31 studies concluded that such sedentary behavior may also impact anxiety (2).

But how about media use and inattention or focus symptoms?

While an estimated 10% of the US population has adhd as of 2022(4) many more young adults report problems with attention, focus.

A recent study looked at the impact of social media use on attention.

What was the study?

3,051 students in 10th grade were followed for 24 months, and monitored for amount and frequency of social media use and adhd symptoms, both via self report. (5)

What was the result?

Over a 2-year follow-up, high-frequency use of digital media  (>2x/day), with social media as one of the most common activities, was associated

with a modest yet statistically significant increased odds of developing ADHD   symptoms (OR 1.10; 95% CI, 1.05-1.15) (5).

What are some caveats?

  • While a number of other studies have shown a correlation (6), this is one of the first studies to show increase in adhd symptoms, but further research is needed.
  • Intuitively, if you have numerous app notifications, use programs for brief periods you are likely conditioning your brain to pay attention for short snippets, which could make it awkward to pay attention for sustained periods of time.

Here is a previous post link with strategies for healthy ways of using media, and technology, including mindful technology use.

By Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA, OSU CCS Psychiatrist

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

  1. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2024/04/teen-social-use-mental-health#:~:text=4.8%20hours,of%20their%20social%20media%20time.
  2. Rothwell, J. (October 27, 2023). Parenting mitigates social media-linked mental health issues. Gallup. Survey conducted between June 26–July 17, 2023, with responses by 6,643 parents living with children between ages 3 and 19, and 1,591 teens living with those parents. https://news.gallup.com/poll/513248/parenting-mitigates-social-media-linked-mental-health-issues.aspx.
  3. Rothwell, J. (2023). How parenting and self-control mediate the link between social media use and mental health. https://ifstudies.org/ifs-admin/resources/briefs/ifs-gallup-parentingsocialmediascreentime-october2023-1.pdf.
  4. Li Y, Yan X, Li Q, et al. Prevalence and Trends in Diagnosed ADHD Among US Children and Adolescents, 2017-2022. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(10):e2336872. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.36872
  5. 82. Ra, C. K., Cho, J., Stone, M. D., De La Cerda, J., Goldenson, N. I., Moroney, E., Tung, I., Lee, S. S., & Leventhal, A. M. (2018). Association of Digital Media Use With Subsequent Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Among Adolescents. JAMA, 320(3), 255–263. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.8931
  6. Dekkers, T. J., & van Hoorn, J. (2022). Understanding Problematic Social Media Use in Adolescents with Attention
    Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Narrative Review and Clinical Recommendations. Brain Sciences, 12(12), 1625. https://
    doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12121625