Consequences for the psyche Use of digital media promotes ADHD

Why do digital media promote ADHD??

Researchers have now investigated how time spent on digital media affects the likelihood of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The findings could be quite surprising or even frightening for some people.

Researchers at the University of Southern California found in their current research that there is a direct link between the time spent in front of computer or smartphone screens and the emergence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescents. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language Journal of the American Medical Association "JAMA".

Many people use their smartphone to use digital media platforms. Apparently, such use is associated with the development of ADHD. (Image: Tanusha / fotolia.com)

More than 2,500 participants were examined

The current two-year study looked at a group of more than 2,500 Los Angeles students. Particularly the attention of the subjects was impaired by the use of digital media, explain the experts. Attention continued to decrease throughout the duration of the experiment, the more time participants spent on digital media platforms. Although the use of digital media does not definitely cause ADHD, use seems to induce symptoms that would justify such a diagnosis or pharmaceutical treatment, say the doctors.

Begins ADHD in childhood?

It has long been believed that ADHD begins in the early stages of childhood development. But the exact circumstances, whether biological or environmental, are still hotly debated among mental health professionals. The current study, however, focused on new symptoms that were not present at the beginning of the study, so that a connection is quite likely to be likely, explains study author Adam Leventhal of the University of Southern California.

Lucky without digital media?

Other studies involving so-called digital engagement had suggested a reverse relationship to satisfaction. If the sufferers of digital media fail, these people often feel much happier and happier, the doctors say.

There were limitations in the study?

The participants were teenagers aged 15 and 16, who were medically supervised over a two-year period. The subjects were asked about their incidence of online activity and the occurrence of 18 different symptoms of ADHD during the study. The experts acknowledged, however, that the subjects had symptoms of ADHD from the beginning, but these were caused by other factors. However, using digital media has aggravated these symptoms. (As)