Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder of neurobiological origin that causes above-average inattention, hyperactivity, impulsive behaviors or restlessness. Although it usually arises and is detected in childhood, adults can also be affected by it and it is often related to substance use during maturity. This disorder affects 5% of the world’s population .
A new study points out that the time of use of digital media such as social networks and streaming video is related to the development of ADHD symptoms . The research was carried out by a team from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine , led by Professor Adam Leventhal, and highlights the need to determine what symptoms of this disorder can be caused by the use of digital media.
“If we can determine if there is potential causality that is consistent across all studies, we can design an intervention system to reduce exposure to these media,” says Leventhal. “Even simple information to educate parents, teachers and pediatricians that there may be an increased risk of these types of disorders. That information will be useful when they talk with their teenagers about the use of digital media.
The team believes that it is important to be able to detect and identify any risk factors that affect these types of disorders, and especially when they are easily modifiable factors such as the use of the media.
ADHD and the Internet
The new study employed 2,587 students from 10 Los Angeles County, California high schools. During two annual periods, the students completed an ADHD symptom measurement form, including nine symptoms of inattention and another nine of hyperactive and impulsive behaviors. At the beginning of the study, the students filled out surveys in which they exposed the frequency with which they carried out 14 activities in digital media , such as use of social networks, instant messaging, video games, online shopping, video-chat, reading online or viewing video in streaming.
After analyzing the data, it was observed that the very frequent use of activities in digital media was associated with a greater probability of suffering from ADHD symptoms. 9.5% of the students who indicated high frequencies of use in seven activities in digital media reported ADHD symptoms, and 10.5% of those who indicated that they frequently practice the 14 activities proposed presented ADHD symptoms.
In contrast, only 4.6% of the students who claimed not to practice any of these activities showed ADHD symptoms throughout the study. Those responsible for the research point out that the relationship between the more frequent use of digital media and the appearance of symptoms typical of ADHD are ” statistically significant but modest .” They also pointed out the limitations of the study, such as the use of very specific age ranges or the geographic restriction to Los Angeles County.
The study only points to a relationship between modern digital media use and ADHD symptoms. But new research will be needed to determine if this relationship is causal or reflects reverse causality ; that is, those who suffer from ADHD symptoms spend more time using digital media. In addition, other elements that could interfere in this research should be analyzed, such as, for example, if genetics or the environment can cause an increase in the symptoms of ADHD and the access or use of digital media. Parental access and use of digital media could influence children’s use.
Citation: Chaelin K. Ra, Junhan Cho & Matthew D. Stone. ‘Association of Digital Media Use With Subsequent Symptoms of Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder Among Adolescents’. JAMA Journal (2018). DOI: 10.1001 / jama.2018.8931
