It'sNottheHours,It'sthe
Habit:NewResearchUpends EverythingWeKnowAbout ScreenRisk
BasedonoriginalresearchpublishedintheJuly15,2025printissueofJAMA(Volume 334,Number3),thispresentationexploresgroundbreakingfindingsthatchallengeour understandingofscreentimerisksforadolescents.
OriginalResearchStudy:XiaoY,MengY,BrownTT,KeyesKM,MannJJ.AddictiveScreenUseTrajectoriesandSuicidal Behaviors,SuicidalIdeation,andMentalHealthinUSYouths.JAMA.2025;334(3):219-228.doi:10.1001/jama.2025.7829
EditorialCommentary:NagataJM,HelmerCK,Al-ShoaibiAA.BeyondScreenTime4AddictiveScreenUsePatternsand AdolescentMentalHealth.JAMA.2025;334(3):214-216.doi:10.1001/jama.2025.8135
July15,2025printissueofJAMA(Volume334,Number3
It'sNotJustAboutTimeSpentonScreens
Thestudyfoundthathowteensusescreensmattersmorethanhow muchtimetheyspend.Addictivepatternsofusewerestronglylinkedto mentalhealthproblems,whiletotalscreentimealonewasnot.
AddictiveScreenUseis WidespreadAmongYoung Teens
/
Adolescents
Nearly1in3adolescentsshowed increasingaddictiveuseofsocialmediaor mobilephonesstartingaroundage11.
MobilePhoneUse
Almosthalfhadhighaddictiveuse patternsformobilephones.
ThreeDistinctRiskTrajectoriesWereIdentified
High-PeakingUse
Intenseaddictivepatternsthatpeakduring adolescence.
IncreasingUse
Graduallyworseningaddictivepatternsover time.
LowUse
Minimaladdictivepatternsthroughout adolescence.
High&IncreasingPatterns
Adolescentsshowinghighandescalatingpatternsofaddictivescreenuse wereatasignificantlyincreasedrisk.
ElevatedSuicidalRisk
Thesepatternswereassociatedwitha2-3timesgreaterlikelihoodof suicidalthoughtsandbehaviors.
Age EmergesasaCriticalVulnerabilityWindow
Manyconcerningaddictiveusepatternsbeganaroundage
114twoyearsbeforelegalsocialmediaaccess4 suggestingthisisacrucialtimeforpreventionandearly intervention.
Thisfindinghighlightsacriticalwindowforinterventionbefore problematicpatternsbecomeestablished.
DifferentPlatformsTargetDifferentDemographics
Girls
Weremorelikelytodevelopaddictivesocialmediausepatterns
Boys Showedmuchhigherratesofaddictivevideogameuse
Higher-RiskYouthWereAlreadyVulnerable
Teenswhodevelopedaddictivepatternsweremorelikelytocomefromdisadvantagedbackgroundsandalreadyshowedmentalhealthsymptomsbefore theiraddictiveusedeveloped.
SocioeconomicFactors
Youthfromlower-incomehouseholds,single-parentfamilies,orwithless parentaleducationweremorepronetodevelopingaddictivescreen patterns.
Pre-existingConditions
Theseteensoftenexhibitedearlymentalhealthsymptoms,emotional regulationdifficulties,andsocialchallengesbeforetheiraddictivescreen useemerged.
WarningSignsParentsandCliniciansShould Recognize
Preoccupation
Spendingexcessivetimethinking aboutdevices,evenwhennotusing them.
Tolerance
Needingtousescreensmoreand morefrequentlyorforlonger periodstofeelsatisfied.
Escapism
Usingscreensasaprimarywayto escapefromreal-worldproblemsor negativeemotions.
LossofControl
Aninabilitytocutbackonscreen usedespiterepeatedattemptsand desirestodoso.
Withdrawal
Experiencingdistress,irritability,or anxietywhenscreenaccessis limitedorunavailable.
FunctionalImpact
Negativeeffectsondailylife, includingschoolperformance, relationships,orwork responsibilities.
TheResearchProvidesLongitudinalEvidence
Thiswasn'tasnapshotstudy4researcherstracked4,285 USchildrenfromages9-10throughtheirteenyears, makingthefindingsmorereliablethancross-sectional surveys.
Longitudinalstudiesprovidestrongerevidenceofcause-andeffectrelationshipsthanone-timesurveys.
ClinicalPracticeMustShiftfromTimeLimitsto PatternRecognition
CurrentApproach
Quantitativelimits("nomorethan2hoursdaily")
NeededApproach
Newscreeningtoolstoidentifyaddictivebehavioralpatterns ratherthanjustmonitoringtimeusage
TheUnderageSocialMediaCrisisDemandsUrgent PolicyAction
Muchoftheproblematicuseoccurredamongchildrenunder13despiteplatformagerequirements,revealingregulatory failurewithseriouspublichealthconsequences.
Currentageverificationsystemsareeasily circumventedbychildren.
Underageaccessisassociatedwithsignificant mentalhealthrisks.
Thisresearchmakesastrongcaseforstronger ageverificationmeasuresandplatform accountability.
SpecificFamilyStrategiesCanHelp
Researchshowsthatparentallimitsonmealtimeand bedroomscreenusewereassociatedwithloweraddictive usepatterns,suggestingconcretestrategiesfamiliescan implementbeyondgeneraltimerestrictions.
Device-FreeMeals
Nophonesortabletsduringfamilymealtimes
BedroomBoundaries
Nodevicesinbedroomsovernight
RepresentsaFundamentalParadigmShift
PreviousFocus
Aprimaryconcernwas:"Howmuchscreentimeissafe?"
NewParadigm
Thecriticalquestionnowis:"Whatpatternsofscreenuse indicateaddictionrisk?"
TheBottomLine
AboutPatterns
Problematicscreenuseisaboutaddictionlikepatterns,notduration
UrgentAction
Demandsanurgentrethinkofhow parents,clinicians,andpolicymakers approachdigitalwellnessinyouth
EarlyIntervention
Focusonpreventionatage11,before problematicpatternsbecomeestablished
