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More Than Time: Screen Addiction And The Warning About Teen Suicide

  • Writer: Lidi Garcia
    Lidi Garcia
  • 1 day ago
  • 4 min read

A study of more than 4,000 teenagers in the US showed that increasingly compulsive use of social media, cell phones and video games over the years is linked to higher risks of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts or behavior. It is not just screen time that matters, but how use increases and affects the young person's life. The more use becomes an addiction, the greater the negative impact on mental health.


The increasingly intense use of screens, such as social media, video games and cell phones, among children and teenagers has raised concerns among parents, health professionals and educators. Many wonder if this behavior could be linked to more serious problems, such as depression, anxiety or even suicidal thoughts and behavior.


This study, conducted by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian, USA, sought to answer this question in more depth, analyzing not only the total time that young people spend in front of screens, but mainly how this use evolves over time and whether it becomes increasingly compulsive and difficult to control, which researchers call “addictive use”.

The study followed 4,285 adolescents in the United States, with an average age of 10 at the start of the study, for a period of four years (from 2016 to 2022). During this time, patterns of use of social networks, cell phones and video games were observed, using validated questionnaires completed by the children themselves and their parents.


In addition, behaviors related to mental health were assessed, such as suicidal ideation (thinking about taking one’s own life), suicide attempts, and emotional symptoms such as anxiety, deep sadness, aggression and relationship difficulties.


The researchers found that there were distinct trajectories of addictive use. For example, about 31% of the young people showed a pattern of social network use that increased over the years, and 24.6% had the same pattern in relation to cell phone use.

In the case of video games, two main groups were identified: one with more stable use and another with higher addictive use. These trajectories do not simply mean that young people used a lot, but rather that they showed excessive involvement, with loss of control, use to relieve negative emotions, or difficulty in reducing time, even when this caused problems in other areas of life.


The data showed that adolescents with high or increasing addictive use of any of these devices or platforms had a significantly higher risk of developing serious mental health problems.


For example, young people who experienced an increase in their use of social networks had more than twice the risk of suicidal behavior, when compared to those who maintained lower use.

Furthermore, the group with the most intense video game use showed the greatest difference in internalizing symptoms, that is, emotional distress directed inward, such as sadness, isolation and anxiety. On the other hand, the progressive increase in social media use was more strongly associated with externalizing symptoms, such as irritability, impulsivity and disruptive behaviors.


An important aspect of the study was that total screen time measured at the beginning of the study (around 10 years of age) was not directly associated with negative outcomes. This means that simply knowing how many hours a child spends in front of a screen is not enough to predict whether they will have emotional problems.


What really mattered was the pattern of involvement over time, whether use became increasingly compulsive and intense, indicating a relationship of dependence or addiction.

The findings have important practical implications. They suggest that parents, schools, and health professionals should pay attention not only to the amount of time young people spend on screens, but also to how this use is affecting their lives, emotions, and behaviors.


Progressive changes in usage patterns, difficulty disconnecting, use to cope with stress or sadness, and impairments in family, school, or social relationships can all be warning signs.


In summary, the study shows that trajectories of addictive screen use, especially as they increase over time, are strongly linked to serious mental health problems among adolescents. Prevention and early monitoring of these usage patterns may be essential to protect young people’s emotional well-being in an increasingly digital age.



READ MORE:


Addictive Screen Use Trajectories and Suicidal Behaviors, Suicidal Ideation, and Mental Health in US Youths

Yunyu Xiao, Yuan Meng, Timothy T. Brown, Katherine M. Keyes, and J. John Mann

JAMA, June 18, 2025

doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.7829


Abstract: 


Increasing child and adolescent use of social media, video games, and mobile phones has raised concerns about potential links to youth mental health problems. Prior research has largely focused on total screen time rather than longitudinal addictive use trajectories. To identify trajectories of addictive use of social media, mobile phones, and video games and to examine their associations with suicidal behaviors and ideation and mental health outcomes among youths. Cohort study analyzing data from baseline through year 4 follow-up in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (2016-2022), with population-based samples from 21 US sites. Exposures  Addictive use of social media, mobile phones, and video games using validated child-reported measures from year 2, year 3, and year 4 follow-up surveys. Suicidal behaviors and ideation assessed using child- and parent-reported information via the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia. Internalizing and externalizing symptoms were assessed using the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist. The analytic sample (n = 4285) had a mean age of 10.0 (SD, 0.6) years; 47.9% were female; and 9.9% were Black, 19.4% Hispanic, and 58.7% White. Latent class linear mixed models identified 3 addictive use trajectories for social media and mobile phones and 2 for video games. Nearly one-third of participants had an increasing addictive use trajectory for social media or mobile phones beginning at age 11 years. In adjusted models, increasing addictive use trajectories were associated with higher risks of suicide-related outcomes than low addictive use trajectories (eg, increasing addictive use of social media had a risk ratio of 2.14 [95% CI, 1.61-2.85] for suicidal behaviors). High addictive use trajectories for all screen types were associated with suicide-related outcomes (eg, high-peaking addictive use of social media had a risk ratio of 2.39 [95% CI, 1.66-3.43] for suicidal behaviors). The high video game addictive use trajectory showed the largest relative difference in internalizing symptoms (T score difference, 2.03 [95% CI, 1.45-2.61]), and the increasing social media addictive use trajectory for externalizing symptoms (T score difference, 1.05 [95% CI, 0.54-1.56]), compared with low addictive use trajectories. Total screen time at baseline was not associated with outcomes. High or increasing trajectories of addictive use of social media, mobile phones, or video games were common in early adolescents. Both high and increasing addictive screen use trajectories were associated with suicidal behaviors and ideation and worse mental health.

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