New Delhi, Dec 8 || Children who spend more than 30 minutes on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are likely to experience a gradual decline in their ability to concentrate, according to a study of more than 8,000 children from around age 10 through age 14.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Oregon Health & Science University in the US investigated a possible link between screen habits and symptoms related to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
They followed 8,324 children aged 9-14 in the US for four years, with the average time children spent on social media, watching TV/videos, and playing video games -- from approximately 30 minutes a day for 9-year-olds to 2.5 hours for 13-year-olds.
Children who spent a significant amount of time on social media platforms, such as Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, X, or Messenger, gradually developed inattention symptoms, revealed the findings.