Problematic Social Media Use Linked to ADHD Symptoms in Boys: JAMA
USA: A recent cohort study published in JAMA Network Open has revealed that year-to-year increases in problematic social media use were associated with small subsequent increases in ADHD symptoms during adolescence. This association was significant among boys but not girls, while the reverse relationship—ADHD symptoms leading to later problematic social media use—was smaller and inconsistent. The observational findings show an association, not proof that social media causes ADHD.
The study was led by Jason M. Nagata from the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues. The researchers examined the bidirectional relationship between problematic social media use (PSMU) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms over five annual assessments in a large cohort of U.S. adolescents.
The prospective cohort study analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, which followed participants from 2017–2019 through 2021–2023. The analysis included 11,286 adolescents with a mean age of 12.1 years at the second study wave, of whom 52.4% were boys. Problematic social media use was self-reported using the Social Media Addiction Questionnaire, while ADHD symptoms were assessed through parent reports using the Child Behavior Checklist. Researchers used advanced statistical models to distinguish changes within individuals over time from stable differences between participants.
Key findings included:
- Adolescents reporting higher-than-usual problematic social media use were more likely to show small increases in ADHD symptoms the following year.
- The association was observed from year 4 to year 5 and year 5 to year 6, suggesting that increases in problematic social media behaviors preceded increases in attention-related symptoms.
- ADHD symptoms showed a weaker and less consistent association with later problematic social media use, with a significant relationship observed only between year 4 and year 5.
- The prospective association between problematic social media use and ADHD symptoms was stronger among boys, while no significant association was found among girls.
- Overall, the observed effects were small, indicating that problematic social media use is one of many factors potentially associated with ADHD symptoms during adolescence.
The researchers acknowledged several limitations. ADHD symptoms were parent-reported rather than clinically diagnosed, and the cohort overrepresented White adolescents from higher-income families, limiting generalizability. Problematic social media use was assessed across multiple platforms; annual assessments may have missed short-term changes, and the observational design cannot establish causality.
The authors concluded that problematic social media use may be an important consideration when evaluating adolescents with attention difficulties, particularly boys. However, given the modest and time-limited associations, they urged cautious interpretation and called for future studies using more frequent and objective measures of social media use.
Reference:
Nagata JM, Otmar CD, Nayak S, et al. Problematic Social Media Use and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(7):e2623748. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.23748
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