New Delhi: Children who spend more than 30 minutes a day on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are more likely to show a gradual decline in their ability to concentrate, according to a new study tracking over 8,000 children from around age 10 to 14.
The research, conducted by scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Oregon Health & Science University in the US, examined links between screen use and symptoms related to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The four-year study followed 8,324 children in the US, recording their daily time on social media, television/videos and video games, which increased from about 30 minutes a day at age 9 to around 2.5 hours by age 13. Despite many platforms setting 13 as the minimum age, the data showed rising use well before that threshold, and children who spent substantial time on apps like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Messenger gradually developed more inattentive symptoms.
Published in Pediatrics Open Science, the study did not find a similar association between attention problems and time spent watching television or playing video games. The researchers suggested that social media’s constant stream of messages and notifications, and even the anticipation of new alerts, can act as ongoing distractions that disrupt sustained focus.
The link between social media use and inattention was not explained by socioeconomic background or genetic risk for ADHD, the authors noted. They also observed that children who already showed inattentive traits did not go on to use social media more, indicating the direction of influence appeared to run from social media use to symptoms, rather than the other way around.
No increase in hyperactive or impulsive behaviour was detected in the study group. While the effect on any single child’s concentration was described as modest, the researchers warned that, at a population level, the impact could be significant given the widespread and rising use of social media among young adolescents.
(Inputs from IANS)