By Kerry Gallagher
Last week, the New York Times reported on a new study from Columbia University in which “Researchers found children with highly addictive use of phones, video games or social media were two to three times as likely to have thoughts of suicide or to harm themselves.”
In the study, which followed participants for 4 years starting at 9-10 years of age, addictive use was measured using the following statements and asking study participants to rate themselves on a scale:
- I feel the need to use social media apps more and more (1 [never] to 6 [very often]).
- The thought of being without my phone makes me feel distressed (1 [strongly disagree] to 7 [strongly agree]).
- I play video games so I can forget about my problems (1 [never] to 6 [very often]).
Children who had high or increasing rates of self-reported addictive use were more likely to have thoughts of self-harm by the age of 14.
The researchers also asked participants to self-report their screen time. The study found that longer screen times were not an indicator of future mental health risks, saying, “One key finding was that total screen time was not associated with suicide-related or mental health outcomes, nor did it alter the strength or direction of associations between addictive use trajectories and these outcomes.”
While parents should still attend to how much time their children are spending on screens, focusing more on behaviors when using the screens or when it is time to hop off the screens might be more helpful when it comes to future mental health risks. Researchers recommend talking to your child’s pediatrician about therapeutic treatment for children who might exhibit high or increasing addictive behaviors with social media, video games, and screen devices.