People with attention deficit and / or impulsivity and hyperactivity disorder have difficulties in their lives – social, academic and professional. In adolescents, the risk of developing this disorder is increased by the consumption of social networks.
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Whatsapp… Adolescents overuse social media, especially through their smartphones. Very difficult to regulate, this way of life is not without danger. A new study, published in the JAMA, has just associated “the frequent use of modern digital media” with the appearance of Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in young people.
People with ADHD have difficulty paying attention and / or impulsivity andhyperactivity that affect different spheres of their life – social, academic and professional. The prevalence of this disorder in the adult population is estimated to be around 4%. ADHD is not more common in boys than in girls, but it manifests itself differently: In general, boys show more hyperactivity and impulsivity, while girls show more inattention.
24-month follow-up
The researchers first assembled a cohort of teenagers aged 15 and 16, from 10 different high schools in Los Angeles. At the start of the experiment, none had ADHD. Following a 24-month follow-up, “there was a significant association between the higher frequency of modern digital media use and ADHD symptoms,” says the trial.
A total of 3,051 students were assessed in the 6th, 12th, 18th and 24th months. 1,398 students (54.1%) indicated they visit social media “frequently”. The 495 students who said they “don’t use social media very frequently” were 4.6% to have ADHD, compared to 9.5% among the 114 subjects who said they “used social media very frequently”.
A general decline in motivation
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