The DOI matches its Crossref record, with a small difference in title or year; 89 of the 89 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Longitudinal associations between digital media use and ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents: a systematic literature review
Open accessAbstract
Previous reviews have often shown a link between digital media ADHD symptom levels. However, longitudinal studies are needed to find stronger evidence of a causal effect as well as to determine the direction of effects. The aim of the present review (PROSPERO CRD42021262695) was therefore to provide a systematic review of studies meeting the following inclusion criteria: (1) include longitudinal data investigating associations between digital media (i.e., gaming and social media) and later ADHD symptoms or vice versa, (2) be published within the past 10 years (i.e., 2011 until June 2021), (3) be published in a peer-reviewed journal in English, and (4) include children or adolescents (age 0-17 years). After a systematic search in the Web of Science and PsycInfo databases, we included 28 studies, all with adequate or high quality. Results showed support for reciprocal associations between digital media and ADHD symptoms, with associations being more consistent for problematic use of digital media than for screen time. Thus, children with ADHD symptoms appear more vulnerable to developing high or problematic use of digital media (i.e., selection effects), and digital media also have effects on later ADHD symptom levels, either because of specific characteristics of digital media or because of indirect effects on, for example, sleep and social relations (i.e., media effects). However, it should be emphasized that further studies investigating potential moderators and mediators are needed if we are to better understand the complex associations between digital media and ADHD symptom levels.
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“A more recent review evaluating the longitudinal associations between digital media use and ADHD symptoms found reciprocal associations between digital media use and ADHD symptoms [57].”
From Screen time and mental health: a prospective analysis of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (2024) · cites this paper as [57]
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Cites
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
American Psychiatric Association (2013) · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 · Cited by 116,369
The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., et al. (2021) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.n71 · Cited by 108,283
International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision
(2013) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med/9780199669493.005.0005 · Cited by 2,069
Screen time and sleep among school-aged children and adolescents: a systematic literature review
Hale, L., & Guan, S. (2015) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2014.07.007 · Cited by 1,468 · cited 2×
“Two of the most important activities commonly affected by extensive use of digital media are physical activity [e.g., reviews 30, 31] and sleep [e.g., 32].”
BackgroundResultThe Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model
Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2013) · Journal of Communication · doi:10.1111/jcom.12024 · Cited by 1,340
Online Social Network Site Addiction: A Comprehensive Review
Andreassen, C. S. (2015) · Current Addiction Reports · doi:10.1007/s40429-015-0056-9 · Cited by 1,212 · cited 1×
“However, it has been argued that criteria similar to those described above for IGD can also be applied to social media use [13–16].”
BackgroundCharacterizing cognition in ADHD: beyond executive dysfunction
Castellanos, F. X., Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S., Milham, M. P., & Tannock, R. (2006) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2006.01.011 · Cited by 1,170 · cited 1×
“…such as executive functions (i.e., working memory, inhibitory con-trol, and planning), delay aversion and emotion regulation, given that these functions have been linked to digital media use [81–83], other types of additions such as alcohol/drug addiction or gambling [84, 85], and ADHD [86].”
BackgroundInternet Gaming Addiction: A Systematic Review of Empirical Research
Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2012) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-011-9318-5 · Cited by 1,113 · cited 1×
“There are now several reviews and meta-analyses investigating the link between digital media in general and ADHD [4, 5], as well as more specific reviews focusing on the link between gaming and ADHD [6, 7] or ADHD symptom levels for individuals diagnosed with Internet gaming disorder [8, 9].”
BackgroundDelayed reward discounting and addictive behavior: a meta-analysis
MacKillop, J., Amlung, M. T., Few, L. R., Ray, L. A., Sweet, L. H., & Munafò, M. R. (2011) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-011-2229-0 · Cited by 1,021 · cited 1×
“…such as executive functions (i.e., working memory, inhibitory con-trol, and planning), delay aversion and emotion regulation, given that these functions have been linked to digital media use [81–83], other types of additions such as alcohol/drug addiction or gambling [84, 85], and ADHD [86].”
BackgroundProblematic social media use: Results from a large-scale nationally representative adolescent sample
Bányai, F., Zsila, Á., Király, O., Maraz, A., Elekes, Z., Griffiths, M. D., Andreassen, C. S., & Demetrovics, Z. (2017) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0169839 · Cited by 984
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Problematic social media use in childhood and adolescence
Montag, C., Demetrovics, Z., Elhai, J. D., Grant, D., Koning, I. M., Rumpf, H., Spada, M. M., Throuvala, M. A., & van den Eijnden, R. J. J. M. (2024) · Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.107980 · Cited by 207
Nagata, J. M., Al-Shoaibi, A. A. A., Leong, A. W., Zamora, G., Testa, A., Ganson, K. T., & Baker, F. C. (2024) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-024-20102-x · Cited by 103
“…longitudinal data and larger cohorts other than the ABCD Study cohort, we found weak but significant correlations between screen time and adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing behavior symptoms, including depression, anxiety, ADHD, somatic, ODD, and conduct symptoms [12, 57, 84, 110, 111].”
BackgroundEffects of Social Media Use on Youth and Adolescent Mental Health: A Scoping Review of Reviews
Agyapong-Opoku, N., Agyapong-Opoku, F., & Greenshaw, A. J. (2025) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs15050574 · Cited by 133
“Passive social media use is defined as observing content, nighttime social media consumption, and engaging in appearance-based activities, while active social media use is associated with cyberbullying or sexting (Prasad et al., 2023).”
González‐Cabrera, J. M., Basterra-González, A., Ortega-Barón, J., Caba‐Machado, V., Díaz‐López, A., Pontes, H. M., & Machimbarrena, J. M. (2023) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2023.107685 · Cited by 67
“…to online gambling, minors (who cannot legally gamble) constitute a population that requires additional safeguards (Gibson et al., 2022) as children appear to be more vulnerable to developing problematic use of digital media, particularly when they present other comorbities (Thorell et al., 2022).”
Long-term impact of digital media on brain development in children
Nivins, S., Sauce, B., Liebherr, M., Judd, N., & Klingberg, T. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-63566-y · Cited by 51
Metadata
- Authors
- Thorell, L. B., Burén, J., Ström Wiman, J., Sandberg, D., & Nutley, S. B.
- Affiliations
- Karolinska Institutet (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Thorell, Lisa B.
- Venue
- European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Published
- 2022-12-23
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 2503-2526
- ISSN
- 1018-8827 (ISSN-L)
- 1435-165X
- PMC
- PMC11272698
- OpenAlex
- W4312115048
- Cited by
- 132
- References
- 88
- Citations by year
- 2026: 55 · 2025: 55 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 3
- FWCI
- 3.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Forskningsrådet om Hälsa, Arbetsliv och Välfärd (2020-00630)
- Karolinska Institute
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Keywords
- ADHD symptoms, digital media use, video gaming, social media, problematic media use, screen time, children, adolescents, bidirectional relationship, selection effects, sleep, interpersonal relationships, causal effects
- MeSH terms
- Screen Time, Adolescent, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Child, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Video Games, Social Media
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