Not all screen time is created equal – especially when it comes to preteens’ mental health. A new study has found that it’s not the total number of hours kids spend in front of screens that poses the biggest threat, but whether their use has become addictive.
The research, led by scientists from Columbia University and Cornell University, followed nearly 4,300 children starting at age 8 and tracked their use of mobile phones, social media, and video games for four years.
The findings are stark: children who showed addictive patterns in their screen use were significantly more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, aggression, and even suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
In contrast, the amount of time spent on screens had no consistent link to mental health outcomes.
How kids’ screen addiction starts
The study defined addictive use as screen behaviors that interfere with kid’s school, home life, or other daily activities. Researchers identified different trajectories of screen use depending on the device.
For mobile phones, about half of the children began the study with high levels of addictive use and stayed that way through early adolescence. Another quarter started with low use but developed addictive patterns as they aged.
When it came to social media, around 40% of children either maintained high addictive use or showed increasing dependence over time.
Video games, however, followed a different pattern: most children fell into one of two groups – either consistently low or consistently high use – without a group that shifted gradually into addiction.
“These kids experience a craving for such use that they find it hard to curtail,” said senior author John Mann, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University.
“Parents who notice these problems should have their kids evaluated for this addictive use and then seek professional help for kids with an addiction.”
Addictive patterns of screen time
To assess the psychological toll of screen habits, the researchers examined mental health data alongside kids’s screen use patterns.
At the end of the four-year period, about 5% of the children had exhibited suicidal behaviors, from ideation to attempts.
Those with high or escalating addictive use of mobile phones or social media had two to three times greater risk of these outcomes compared to peers who showed consistently low levels of addiction.
Surprisingly, the total amount of time children spent on screens wasn’t a strong predictor of mental health risks. The researchers emphasized that the pattern and quality of screen engagement mattered far more than the quantity.
“While national surveys and previous studies have documented rising screen use, our study is the first to map longitudinal trajectories of addictive use specifically, offering new insights into when and for whom risks emerge,” said lead author Yunyu Xiao, an assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medicine.
“Policy efforts should move away from generic limits on screen time and instead focus on identifying and addressing addictive patterns of screen use.”
Looking for early warning signs
One of the study’s key takeaways is the importance of monitoring screen habits over time.
Some children may show no signs of trouble at first but can develop addictive behaviors as they grow older. Catching those changes early is essential for intervention.
“If you do not follow kids over time, you would miss this substantial group that shifts from low risk to higher risk,” Mann said.
Unlike past research that lumped all screen time together, this study examined screen use in context.
Teams asked children to reflect on their behaviors with statements like “I feel the need to use social media apps more and more” or “I play video games so I can forget about my problems.” Their responses helped researchers map how addictive behaviors emerge and evolve.
Rethinking screen time rules
The findings suggest that efforts to protect kid’s mental health should move away from blanket rules about screen hours and instead focus on how and why screens are used.
Interventions that address compulsive use – rather than simply cutting back on time – may be far more effective.
“Now that we know that an addictive use pattern is so important, we need to develop intervention strategies and test them in controlled clinical trials,” Mann said.
He added that researchers still don’t know whether the key is eliminating access entirely or simply placing limits. “We know from studies of addiction management that partial access can quickly reinforce the addiction,” he said.
As screen use becomes a defining feature of childhood and adolescence, understanding the difference between casual use and harmful addiction will be crucial.
This study makes clear that the real danger lies not in how long preteens spend on their devices, but in how deeply they depend on them.
The study is published in the journal JAMA.
—–
Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.
Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.
—–
发表回复