CHILDREN who spend more time on social media end up with shorter attention spans, researchers say.
And they warned apps such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram might be driving up cases of ADHD.
A study of 8,324 US kids between nine and 14 found those often on social media suffered a “gradual decline” in their ability to focus.
Watching TV or playing video games did not appear to have the same effect.
Study leader Professor Torkel Klingberg, of Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet, said: “Social media has constant distractions in the form of messages and notifications.
“The mere thought of whether a message has arrived can act as a mental distraction.”
The research, published in journal Pediatrics Open Science, showed the children’s social media use rose from an average of 30 minutes per day at age nine, to 2.5 hours per day by the age of 13.
They increasingly “zoned out”, forgot things or failed to follow instructions.
But those who already showed signs of ADHD did not use more social media, suggesting the apps were causing changes to the healthy kids’ brains.
British children spend an average of three hours a day on the internet.
Three quarters use social apps including Facebook and WhatsApp, and two thirds are on Snapchat by the age of 12.
The number of people suspected of having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder has surged to a record 2.5million in England alone.
Around 750,000 are children and young people.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has ordered a review to understand why ADHD and autism rates are rising.
