Latest news with #YunyuXiao
The Star
an hour ago
- Health
- The Star
Real risk to youth mental health is ‘addictive use', not screen time alone, study finds
As Americans scramble to respond to rising rates of suicidal behaviour among youth, many policymakers have locked in on an alarming metric: the number of hours a day that American children spend glued to a glowing screen. But a study published June 18 in the medical journal JAMA, which followed more than 4,000 children across the US, arrived at a surprising conclusion: Longer screen time at age 10 was not associated with higher rates of suicidal behaviour four years later. Instead, the authors found, the children at higher risk for suicidal behaviours were those who told researchers their use of technology had become 'addictive' – that they had trouble putting it down or felt the need to use it more and more. Some children exhibited addictive behaviour even if their screen time was relatively low, they said. The researchers found addictive behaviour to be very common among children – especially in their use of mobile phones, where nearly half had high addictive use. By age 14, children with high or increasing addictive behaviour were two to three times as likely as other children to have thoughts of suicide or to harm themselves, the study found. 'This is the first study to identify that addictive use is important and is actually the root cause, instead of time,' said Yunyu Xiao, an assistant professor of psychiatry and population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medical College and the study's lead author. Addictive behaviour may be more difficult to control during childhood, before the prefrontal cortex, which acts as a brake on impulsivity, is fully developed. Xiao said interventions should focus on the child's addictive behaviour, which is typically treated with cognitive behavioural psychotherapy, rather than simply limiting access to screens. 'If there are early warnings, then for parents, it's important to seek professional help for children with such addictions,' she said. 'We do not know if just taking away their phone will help. Sometimes it can create some conflict in the family, and that is even worse.' The study analysed changes in screen use among 4,285 children beginning around age 10, regularly screening them for compulsive use, difficulty disengaging and distress when not given access. At 14, when the subjects were assessed for suicidal behaviour and mental health status, 5.1% of the participants had showed suicidal behaviour, such as attempted suicide or preparation for an attempt, and 17.9% had experienced suicidal ideation. Because of its design, the study did not establish that addictive use caused suicidal behaviours at age 14, but it was able to show that a prolonged trajectory of addictive use preceded the mental health problems, Xiao said. The focus on addictive behaviour has important policy implications, shifting more responsibility onto the technology companies that design devices and social media platforms, said Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer at the American Psychological Association. Policymakers can address addiction by requiring technology companies to introduce 'age-appropriate design' that limits features adolescents find difficult to resist, he said. The United Kingdom introduced a code of this kind in 2020. 'We just don't do that here,' he said. 'We have baked addictive use into the design of the product.' Debates about screen time, by contrast, tend to put the onus on parents to limit their children's use of the platforms, a task that can be especially difficult for single-parent or lower-income families, he said. 'We are talking about something that's just not feasible for some people who rely on that device to calm their kids down for a few minutes to give them a moment to fold the laundry and get dinner ready or go off to a second job,' he said. The new study found higher levels of addictive use of social media, video games and mobile phones among Black and Hispanic adolescents, and among youths from households with annual incomes less than US$75,000 (RM318,787), unmarried parents and parents without a college education. For nearly half of the children in the study, addictive phone use was consistently high from age 11; another 25% began with low addictive use, which increased steeply. For that last group, 'the risk of suicidal behaviour clearly increased, to a doubling of the levels,' Xiao said. 'So if we do not measure them repetitively, we could miss this group when they are growing up.' The new study is unlikely to quiet worries about screen time, which has become a major public health issue. US teens spend an average of 4.8 hours per day on social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, Gallup found in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available. In his 2024 book The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist, identified the appearance of the smartphones as a key inflection point, after which youth mental health in the United States began to deteriorate. Since then, legislators in many states have crafted laws limiting social media use or screen time, especially during school hours. Many scientists who study the relationship between social media and mental health say it is premature to issue blanket warnings, arguing that the research so far has told a mixed story of harm and benefit, and what seems to matter more is what they are doing online. 'We have known for over a decade now that screen time is a flawed measure, but we continue to tally time spent on screens instead of asking how young people are spending their time online and why they want to be there,' said Candice L. Odgers, a professor of psychological science in informatics at the University of California, Irvine. Dr Jason Nagata, who has published studies on screen time but was not involved in the new JAMA study, said the data points to the limitations of screen time as a predictive measure. But he said screen time remains useful, because it's easier to measure, and it crowds out important activities such as sleep, exercise and face-to-face socialising. Nagata and his team found a link between higher screen time at age 9 and suicidal behaviours two years later, with each additional hour of screen time associated with 1.09 higher odds of mental health problems. Another follow-up study found more screen time was linked to a range of mental health symptoms two years later, though the effect sizes were small. Nagata, an associate professor of paediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, said the difference may be that Xiao's team measured screen time at age 10 and only took mental health measurements four years later. 'Four years is a long time,' he said. 'I'm not surprised that some associations faded over that time.' Jean Twenge, a psychologist who was not involved in the new study, came to a similar conclusion. 'Kids' screen time at 10 likely bears little resemblance to their screen time at age 14,' said Twenge, the author of 10 Rules For Raising Kids In A High-Tech World. She said screen time and addictive use are both important, and her recommendations to control them are the same: Keep children off social media until they are 15, and delay giving them internet-enabled phones for as long as possible. – ©2025 The New York Times Company Those suffering from problems can reach out to the Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service at 03-2935 9935 or 014-322 v3392; Talian Kasih at 15999 or 019-261 5999 on WhatsApp; Jakim's (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) family, social and community care centre at 0111-959 8214 on WhatsApp; and Befrienders Kuala Lumpur at 03-7627 2929 or go to malaysia for a full list of numbers nationwide and operating hours, or email sam@ This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
New study claims parents must worry about ‘addictive use' more than screen time
Parents worldwide remain worried about the number of hours children remain glued to their mobile screens in a day. Now, a new study suggests that longer screen time at age 10 is not associated with higher rates of suicidal behavior. What mattered more is whether the children are getting addicted to their screens or not. The research, published on Wednesday in JAMA journal of the American Medical Association states that the time children spent on social media and video games was not associated with internalizing symptoms of mental health problems (anxiety and depression), CNN reported. The study covered more than 4,000 children across the US over a period of four years, with the participants being in the 9-10 years age group at the beginning, CNN reported. Also read: Trump Mobile: All about president's new mobile service and gold 5G phone The authors found that children, who remain at higher risk for suicidal behaviors, were the ones who told them that their use of technology become 'addictive' over time, The New York Times reported. ( Lead study author Yunyu Xiao, associated with the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, dubbed addictive use as 'excessive use' which further interferes with home responsibilities, schoolwork and other activities. The ones addicted had a "craving for it and cannot stop using it," the assistant professor said. During the study, this addictive behavior was found to be very common among children, especially in terms of mobile phone usage, where almost half of them had high addictive use. Also, more than 40 per cent were on a high trajectory of addictive use for video games. The study warns that children with high or increasing use of social media and mobile phones were two to three times as likely as other kids to have suicide thoughts or harm themselves. Yunyu Xiao said this was the first study to find out that "addictive use is important, and is actually the root cause, instead of time'. The research asks parents to help prevent screen addiction in their children. For this, kids should be made aware about times when they should use cell phones, video games and other things. Psychologist Jean Twenge said children should be kept away from social media until they turn 15, while parents should avoid giving them internet-enabled phones for as long as possible. In 2023, Gallup reported that US teens were spending 4.8 hours on an average per day on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Some kids are in danger of getting addicted to their screens, new study suggests
EDITOR'S NOTE: Kara Alaimo is an associate professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her book 'Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Take It Back' was published in 2024 by Alcove Press. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 to connect with a trained counselor, or visit the 988 Lifeline website. Many parents are worried about how much time our kids are spending on their screens. But a new study suggests that, to figure out how these platforms are affecting our kids, we need to focus on something else. The amount of time kids spent on social media, mobile phones and video games wasn't associated with more internalizing symptoms of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, according to the study published Wednesday, June 18 in JAMA, a journal of the American Medical Association. That time also wasn't associated with more externalizing symptoms of mental health problems, such as rule breaking and aggression — or with suicidal behaviors or suicidal ideation. What mattered was whether they were getting addicted. Addictive use is 'excessive use' that interferes with home responsibilities, schoolwork or other activities, said Yunyu Xiao, lead study author and an assistant professor in the department of population health sciences and department of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. 'They find a craving for it and cannot stop using it.' Almost half the young people studied were on a high trajectory of addictive use for mobile phones, and over 40% were on a high trajectory of addictive use for video games, according to the researchers. Kids with high or increasing use of social media and mobile phones were at two to three times greater risk for suicidal behavior and suicidal ideations than the kids on the lower trajectory, according to the study of over 4,000 US children over a period of four years. The participants were 9 or 10 years old at the start of the study. Other concerning results include: Young people whose social media use was high or increasing also had increased risks of symptoms of mental health problems. High use of video games was associated with greater risk of symptoms of mental health problems, suicidal behaviors and suicidal ideation. Girls were more likely than boys to have high trajectories of addictive social media use, while boys were more likely to have high trajectories of addictive video game use. Xiao acknowledged that the results were self-reported, and the study couldn't account for genetic or environmental factors that could have influenced the results. The study makes clear that parents should try to help kids avoid these kinds of addictions. 'Set boundaries early on,' said Melissa Greenberg, a clinical psychologist at Princeton Psychotherapy Center in New Jersey. She was not involved in the study. Kids should know that there are times when it's not OK to use cell phones, video games and other technology. She also suggested scheduling screen-free time during meals and at night so your family can wind down before bed. She recommended not allowing phones into teens' bedrooms after a designated time each evening. Greenberg also suggested encouraging — and, if necessary, planning — activities for teens that don't involve screens. When I talk to parents, I tell them to let their kids hang out with their friends more. A lot of parents worry about kids' safety when they get together in person, but it's often far more dangerous for them to be in their bedrooms on social media, where they could connect with predators or sextortionists or simply get addicted. Also, 'model a healthy relationship with your own devices,' Greenberg said. 'Parents should be mindful of their own use of devices around their kids and show them by example how to balance screen time and screen-free time.' The Anxious Generation, a movement sparked by Jonathan Haidt's eponymous book, ran a challenge last year, asking young people to commit to screen-free summer Fridays. Can you try doing it this summer with your kids? This week, I've been speaking at training sessions for counselors at summer camps in Wisconsin and New England to try to convince them that if they put their phones away, they can have the best summer of their lives. I point out that learning to get comfortable with ourselves and our own thoughts rather than pulling out a phone every time we have a spare moment is, unfortunately, a skill that requires practice these days. We can try it by going for walks (sans headphones), sitting and watching a sunset or lying around in a hammock. What could be more fun in the summer? It's also important to talk to kids about how screens can be addictive 'in a nonjudgmental way,' Greenberg said. 'Screens are meant to grab our attention … and social media platforms are designed to keep us going back for more. It's important for us all to be aware of this.' Finally, she said, parents should create device agreements with their kids, working together to decide things such as what kinds of use are acceptable and what the daily limits and consequences for breaking rules should be. 'Involve your teen in this process,' Greenberg recommended, so they understand the rationales. Then, watch kids carefully to see whether these strategies are working. A key takeaway of the study is that 'if we do not examine their addictive use,' Xiao said, 'we will likely miss it.' Signs that kids may be addicted include 'compulsive use or the uncontrollable urge' to use these platforms, Greenberg said. 'This may look like your teen frequently or constantly checking their phone every few minutes or turning to video games, even in situations where it's not appropriate or where they've been told not to' — such as at school, late at night or when they're doing homework. Other signs of addiction are when kids try to reduce their use but can't follow the limits or when they get into trouble at school or work — or even annoy friends — because they're on their phones too much. Kids who are addicted also may try to hide or lie about their use, then get defensive if parents ask about it, Greenberg said. Also, 'symptoms of withdrawal are a classic sign of addiction,' Greenberg warned. Kids may end up anxious, irritable, sad or angry when they don't have access to their platforms, she said. Another warning sign is when kids don't fulfill their responsibilities or engage in offline activities. 'This may look like teens not wanting to or feeling unable to engage in in-person interactions or feeling constantly distracted if they try,' Greenberg said. 'You may notice your teen not wanting to meet up with friends in person or not fulfilling responsibilities like homework or family responsibilities.' Finally, parents should watch out for symptoms that kids aren't getting enough sleep. 'Phone and video game addiction can lead to lack of sleep when teens stay up late on their phones or playing video games and so end up sleep deprived, which can lead to fatigue, irritability, anxiety and/or depression,' Greenberg said. If you think your child might be addicted, try not to be judgmental, Greenberg said. Keep in mind that they probably don't want to be addicted, and it isn't a sign you've failed as a parent. The problem is these devices seem to be designed to keep us hooked. 'We need to teach them, not shame them,' she said. Talk to your child about how they're feeling and try to understand why they're spending so much time on these platforms, she said. Schedule other activities and make or revise your device agreement. 'If you already have one, talk through what is and is not working' and 'troubleshoot,' she said. However, if the addiction seems to be having negative consequences or to be interfering with your child's functioning, seek help from a mental health professional, Greenberg advised. This latest research suggests parents should worry less about the amount of time kids are spending on screens and more about whether they're exhibiting signs of addiction. Parents can take steps to try to prevent it. However, if kids do appear to be addicted, it's important to get them help to avoid potentially serious outcomes. Sign up for CNN's Stress, But Less newsletter. Our six-part mindfulness guide will inform and inspire you to reduce stress while learning how to harness it.
CNN
12 hours ago
- Health
- CNN
Some kids are in danger of getting addicted to their screens, new study suggests
EDITOR'S NOTE: Kara Alaimo is an associate professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her book 'Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Take It Back' was published in 2024 by Alcove Press. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 to connect with a trained counselor, or visit the 988 Lifeline website. Many parents are worried about how much time our kids are spending on their screens. But a new study suggests that, to figure out how these platforms are affecting our kids, we need to focus on something else. The amount of time kids spent on social media, mobile phones and video games wasn't associated with more internalizing symptoms of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, according to the study published Wednesday, June 18 in JAMA, a journal of the American Medical Association. That time also wasn't associated with more externalizing symptoms of mental health problems, such as rule breaking and aggression — or with suicidal behaviors or suicidal ideation. What mattered was whether they were getting addicted. Addictive use is 'excessive use' that interferes with home responsibilities, schoolwork or other activities, said Yunyu Xiao, lead study author and an assistant professor in the department of population health sciences and department of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. 'They find a craving for it and cannot stop using it.' Almost half the young people studied were on a high trajectory of addictive use for mobile phones, and over 40% were on a high trajectory of addictive use for video games, according to the researchers. Kids with high or increasing use of social media and mobile phones were at two to three times greater risk for suicidal behavior and suicidal ideations than the kids on the lower trajectory, according to the study of over 4,000 US children over a period of four years. The participants were 9 or 10 years old at the start of the study. Other concerning results include: Young people whose social media use was high or increasing also had increased risks of symptoms of mental health problems. High use of video games was associated with greater risk of symptoms of mental health problems, suicidal behaviors and suicidal ideation. Girls were more likely than boys to have high trajectories of addictive social media use, while boys were more likely to have high trajectories of addictive video game use. Xiao acknowledged that the results were self-reported, and the study couldn't account for genetic or environmental factors that could have influenced the results. The study makes clear that parents should try to help kids avoid these kinds of addictions. 'Set boundaries early on,' said Melissa Greenberg, a clinical psychologist at Princeton Psychotherapy Center in New Jersey. She was not involved in the study. Kids should know that there are times when it's not OK to use cell phones, video games and other technology. She also suggested scheduling screen-free time during meals and at night so your family can wind down before bed. She recommended not allowing phones into teens' bedrooms after a designated time each evening. Greenberg also suggested encouraging — and, if necessary, planning — activities for teens that don't involve screens. When I talk to parents, I tell them to let their kids hang out with their friends more. A lot of parents worry about kids' safety when they get together in person, but it's often far more dangerous for them to be in their bedrooms on social media, where they could connect with predators or sextortionists or simply get addicted. Also, 'model a healthy relationship with your own devices,' Greenberg said. 'Parents should be mindful of their own use of devices around their kids and show them by example how to balance screen time and screen-free time.' The Anxious Generation, a movement sparked by Jonathan Haidt's eponymous book, ran a challenge last year, asking young people to commit to screen-free summer Fridays. Can you try doing it this summer with your kids? This week, I've been speaking at training sessions for counselors at summer camps in Wisconsin and New England to try to convince them that if they put their phones away, they can have the best summer of their lives. I point out that learning to get comfortable with ourselves and our own thoughts rather than pulling out a phone every time we have a spare moment is, unfortunately, a skill that requires practice these days. We can try it by going for walks (sans headphones), sitting and watching a sunset or lying around in a hammock. What could be more fun in the summer? It's also important to talk to kids about how screens can be addictive 'in a nonjudgmental way,' Greenberg said. 'Screens are meant to grab our attention … and social media platforms are designed to keep us going back for more. It's important for us all to be aware of this.' Finally, she said, parents should create device agreements with their kids, working together to decide things such as what kinds of use are acceptable and what the daily limits and consequences for breaking rules should be. 'Involve your teen in this process,' Greenberg recommended, so they understand the rationales. Then, watch kids carefully to see whether these strategies are working. A key takeaway of the study is that 'if we do not examine their addictive use,' Xiao said, 'we will likely miss it.' Signs that kids may be addicted include 'compulsive use or the uncontrollable urge' to use these platforms, Greenberg said. 'This may look like your teen frequently or constantly checking their phone every few minutes or turning to video games, even in situations where it's not appropriate or where they've been told not to' — such as at school, late at night or when they're doing homework. Other signs of addiction are when kids try to reduce their use but can't follow the limits or when they get into trouble at school or work — or even annoy friends — because they're on their phones too much. Kids who are addicted also may try to hide or lie about their use, then get defensive if parents ask about it, Greenberg said. Also, 'symptoms of withdrawal are a classic sign of addiction,' Greenberg warned. Kids may end up anxious, irritable, sad or angry when they don't have access to their platforms, she said. Another warning sign is when kids don't fulfill their responsibilities or engage in offline activities. 'This may look like teens not wanting to or feeling unable to engage in in-person interactions or feeling constantly distracted if they try,' Greenberg said. 'You may notice your teen not wanting to meet up with friends in person or not fulfilling responsibilities like homework or family responsibilities.' Finally, parents should watch out for symptoms that kids aren't getting enough sleep. 'Phone and video game addiction can lead to lack of sleep when teens stay up late on their phones or playing video games and so end up sleep deprived, which can lead to fatigue, irritability, anxiety and/or depression,' Greenberg said. If you think your child might be addicted, try not to be judgmental, Greenberg said. Keep in mind that they probably don't want to be addicted, and it isn't a sign you've failed as a parent. The problem is these devices seem to be designed to keep us hooked. 'We need to teach them, not shame them,' she said. Talk to your child about how they're feeling and try to understand why they're spending so much time on these platforms, she said. Schedule other activities and make or revise your device agreement. 'If you already have one, talk through what is and is not working' and 'troubleshoot,' she said. However, if the addiction seems to be having negative consequences or to be interfering with your child's functioning, seek help from a mental health professional, Greenberg advised. This latest research suggests parents should worry less about the amount of time kids are spending on screens and more about whether they're exhibiting signs of addiction. Parents can take steps to try to prevent it. However, if kids do appear to be addicted, it's important to get them help to avoid potentially serious outcomes. Sign up for CNN's Stress, But Less newsletter. Our six-part mindfulness guide will inform and inspire you to reduce stress while learning how to harness it.
New York Times
12 hours ago
- Health
- New York Times
Real Risk to Youth Mental Health Is ‘Addictive Use,' Not Screen Time Alone, Study Finds
As Americans scramble to respond to rising rates of suicidal behavior among youth, many policymakers have locked in on an alarming metric: the number of hours a day that American children spend glued to a glowing screen. But a study published on Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA, which followed more than 4,000 children across the country, arrived at a surprising conclusion: Longer screen time at age 10 was not associated with higher rates of suicidal behavior four years later. Instead, the authors found, the children at higher risk for suicidal behaviors were those who told researchers their use of technology had become 'addictive' — that they had trouble putting it down, or felt the need to use it more and more. Some children exhibited addictive behavior even if their screen time was relatively low, they said. The researchers found addictive behavior to be very common among children — especially in their use of mobile phones, where nearly half had high addictive use. By age 14, children with high or increasing addictive behavior were two to three times as likely as other children to have thoughts of suicide or to harm themselves, the study found. 'This is the first study to identify that addictive use is important, and is actually the root cause, instead of time,' said Yunyu Xiao, an assistant professor of psychiatry and population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medical College and the study's lead author. Addictive behavior may be more difficult to control during childhood, before the prefrontal cortex, which acts as a brake on impulsivity, is fully developed. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
