New Study Reveals the Real Threat to Adolescents

On Wednesday, June 18, a new research study published by JAMA Network suggested that the real risk to youth mental health is the addictive use of social media, rather than the total screen time.

The study gathered data from over 4,000 participants across the United States aged 9 to 10. Participants identified as Asian, Black, Hispanic, white, or multiracial. They were tracked over four years and answered questionnaires to measure addictive behaviors related to three types of screen use including social media, mobile phones, and video games.

Unlike other studies that focused on effects of increased screen time, this investigation explored how young people’s patterns of addictive use changed over time. Addictive use was defined by factors such as compulsive use, difficulty disengaging, and emotional stress when not using the platform.

“Clinical trials have shown that limiting cell phone use, for instance during school hours, was not effective in reducing the risk of suicidal behavior or improving other aspects of mental health,” said first author Dr. Yunyu Xiao, assistant professor of population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine. (https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2025/06/study-finds-addictive-screen-use-not-total-screen-time-linked-to-youth-suicide-risk#:~:text=New%20research%20shows%20that%20youth,and%20emotional%20or%20behavioral%20issues.)

Using machine learning and data from the participants, researchers were able to characterize three trajectories for social media and phone usage (low, increasing, and high or high-peaking use) and two for addictive use with video games (low and high). Nearly one-third of the participants reported increasing addictive use of social media or mobile phones beginning at age 11, and over forty percent of youths had a high addictive use trajectory for video games.

Not only were these individuals more likely to report suicidal thoughts or behaviors, they also showed symptoms of anxiety, depression, aggression, and rule-breaking. At the four year follow up, 5.1% of adolescents revealed suicidal behaviors, and 17.9% reported suicidal ideation for social media use. After analyzing the data, it was also determined that harmful symptoms increased in the trajectory groups with high-peaking addictive use.

Similar patterns continued in mobile phone and video game groups. A high addictive use of mobile phones was associated with a 50% increased risk of suicidal ideation. On the other hand, high addictive usage of video games resulted in a 54% higher risk of suicidal behaviors, being the highest among all screen type categories.

The study suggests that pediatricians should look more in depth at addictive patterns of screen time instead of just the quantity. Researchers say that evaluating the patterns of screen engagement in children could serve as a crucial component in intervention strategies for youth at risk of mental health challenges.

“Parents, teachers, clinicians should be on the lookout for warning signs for screen addictions, particularly as they may relate to higher depression risk or suicide risk in teenagers,” says Dr. Jason Nagata, a doctor specializing in adolescent screen use at the University of California. (https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/06/18/nx-s1-5436951/jama-screens-teens-addiction-suicide-abcd)