UCSF Study Links Addictive Social Media Use to Rising ADHD Symptoms in Teen Boys

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco analyzed data from more than 11,000 U.S. adolescents tracked from ages 12 to 16. The longitudinal study, published in JAMA Network Open, found that teens who reported increasingly addictive social‑media use were significantly more likely to exhibit heightened ADHD symptoms a year later, particularly at ages 14‑15. The association was not observed in the opposite direction, suggesting that rising social‑media addiction may precede worsening attention‑deficit symptoms, although the authors note the study cannot prove causality.

The findings add to growing evidence of negative cognitive and mental‑health effects linked to excessive digital media use among youths and underscore the need for further research on intervention strategies.