Frequent digital media use increases risk of ADHD

The Hindu
August 06, 2018

All that time teens spend glued to their phones may be affecting their brain and leading to symptoms of what is called the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).A recent research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA) revealed frequent digital media use appeared to increase the risk of having symptoms of ADHD by about 10%.

Poor performance

The risk was higher among boys than girls, and among teens suffering from depression or have a previous history of getting into trouble. ADHD can have many negative effects on teenagers including poor school performance. It can also increase their likelihood of getting involved in risky activities like substance abuse and legal problems.
Speaking about this, K.K. Aggarwal, Indian Medical Association (IMA) former president said, “With the growing popularity of smartphones, one is addicted to the Internet — Facebook, Twitter and other such applications. These can cause insomnia, fragmented sleep, etc. Smartphone is a cause for parent-child conflict in 30% of the cases.”

Common symptoms

“Often, children get up late and end up going to school unprepared. On an average, people spend 30 to 60 minutes on bed playing on their smartphones before sleep. A new spectrum of diseases related to the use of mobile phones has also come to the notice of medical profession and it is anticipated that 10 years from now they will take an epidemic shape.

Frequent digital media use increases risk of ADHD

Some of the most common symptoms of ADHD include inattentiveness (being easily distracted, having difficulty getting organised or remembering to do things), hyperactivity (having difficulty sitting still), and impulsivity (making decisions without thinking through the possible consequences).
Doctors add that — having access to so many different streams of information through gadgets has been found to decrease the brain’s grey matter density, which is responsible for cognition and emotional control.
In this digital era, the key to good health should be moderation i.e. moderate use of technology.
Most of us have become slaves to devices that were really meant to free us and give us more time to experience life and spend time with people.
Reference:

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