A recent study found suicide risk in youth is linked to how they use technology.
The study, published June 18 in JAMA Network, analyzed data from 4,285 adolescents using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (2016-2022). Children were followed between ages 10 and 15. Population samples were taken from 21 U.S. sites.
“This is the first study to identify that addictive use is important, and is actually the root cause, instead of time,” lead author Yunyu Xiao, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and population health sciences at New York City-based Weill Cornell Medical College, told The New York Times.
Here are six findings:
1. Among adolescents, 31.3% had increased addictive use trajectories for social media and 24.6% for mobile phones over four years.
2. Longer screen time at age 10 was not associated with higher rates of suicidal behavior after four years.
3. Children who reported their use of technology had become “addictive” — meaning they had trouble putting it down or felt the need to use it more and more — were at higher risk of suicidal behavior even if their screen time was relatively low.
4. Nearly half of children had high addictive use of their mobile phones.
5. By age 14, children with high or increasing addictive behavior were two to three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts or to harm themselves. Among subjects, 5.1% had showed suicidal behavior, including attempted suicide or preparation for an attempt, and 17.9% had experienced suicidal ideation.
6. Interventions for children should focus on addictive behavior rather than limited screen time, study authors said.
