The Main Culprit Behind Our Children's Increasing Attention Deficit: Not TV, But SNS

[Financial News] A recent study has found that children who use Social Networking Services (SNS) are more likely to experience decreased attention spans.
On the 8th (local time), a joint research team from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in the United States published their findings in the international journal Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics. The study reported that children who spend more time using SNS are more likely to show increased symptoms of attention deficit.
The study followed 8,324 children aged 9 to 13 living in the United States over a period of approximately four years.
Each year, the researchers recorded participants’ time spent on SNS, television, and video games. Parents also evaluated their children's attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. To account for genetic factors related to Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the team used the Polygenic Risk Score (PRS-ADHD) to analyze genetic susceptibility.
The research revealed that children who frequently used SNS platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Messenger showed a continuous increase in attention deficit symptoms during the follow-up period. In contrast, watching TV or playing video games did not significantly affect changes in ADHD-related symptoms.
These findings remained consistent even after accounting for factors such as gender, ADHD diagnosis, genetic predisposition, and ADHD medication use. The study also confirmed that increased SNS use preceded the worsening of symptoms, rather than children with attention problems simply using SNS more.
The researchers also found that children's SNS usage increased significantly with age. The average daily use rose from about 30 minutes at age 9 to approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes by age 13.
The research team stated, "This provides a basis for parents and policymakers to more carefully design and manage digital environments that can impact children's cognitive development." They added, "We plan to continue following participants beyond age 14 to analyze whether these associations persist into adolescence."
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter