Latest news with #YunyuXiao
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Parents, You're Focusing on the Wrong Part of Your Kid's Screen Use
When it comes to monitoring kids and technology, parents are all doing the best we can. Especially in the summertime when rules fly out the window. However, a new study found that parents may actually be worried about the wrong thing when it comes to kids and screens. A study published June 18 in JAMA, a journal of the American Medical Association, found that the amount of time kids spent on social media, mobile phones, and video games wasn't linked to more internalized symptoms of mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Surprisingly, it also wasn't associated with externalized symptoms of mental health problems like rule breaking, aggression, suicidal behaviors, or suicidal ideation. This sounds good right? The problem is, researchers found that screen addiction was linked to both internal and external symptoms of mental health problems. More from SheKnows PopSockets Partnered With This Celeb-Loved Jewelry Brand to Drop Beach-Chic Limited-Edition Accessories There is a difference; a subtle distinction with big consequences. 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, explained addiction as 'excessive use' that interferes with home responsibilities, schoolwork or other activities, per CNN. 'They find a craving for it and cannot stop using it,' he explained. The study found one in two of the young people in the study were on a 'high trajectory of addictive use' for mobile phones, while over 40 percent were on the same path for video games. For the kids with high or increasing use of social media and mobile phones, they were two to three times more likely to engage in suicidal behavior and suicidal ideations than kids on the lower trajectory. These kids also had increased risk of symptoms of mental health problems, with a high use of video games associated with a greater risk of symptoms of mental health problems, suicidal behaviors, and suicidal ideation. It's absolutely heartbreaking! And teens know they need help. In Feb. 2025, SheKnows spoke with teens in New York City about their phone use, and the results were concerning. One 16-year-old named Annabella told us that she spends 12 hours on her phone. 'My friends are on it [their phones], I feel like I couldn't get off it or certain apps, I don't know — I'm just, like, addicted,' Annabella admitted. The Anxious Generation author Jonathan Haidt recommends not giving your child a phone until high school, not allowing social media until 16, and encouraging real-world independence and risk-taking in kids. Ariana Hoet, Ph.D., executive clinical director of children's mental health organization On Our Sleeves, previously told SheKnows that she recommends designated screen-free times every day: during dinner, for example, and powering phones down a couple of hours before bedtime. You should also talk about screens as a family. 'You can talk about what social media platforms you're going to use. Who do you follow? What do you post? And then most importantly, when are the screen-free times? What are other activities you're doing? Who do you go to if you're worried about something?' Dr. Hoet told us. 'You also need to establish the consequences: what happens if these rules are broken?' Dr. Becky Kennedy, psychologist, author, and mom of three previously told SheKnows that screen time isn't inherently bad for kids. It all depends on what the screen time is being used for and if your kids have a healthy balance. She suggests parents define screen time boundaries in advance, encourage kids to learn on their screen before playing, and anticipate the meltdowns around screen time by setting firm boundaries about when to put it up at the end of the day. 'To me, if you're a parent who's just struggling with screen time with your kid, you're probably doing it right. It's a tool we need to use,' she told us. 'It's something I don't think parents need to feel guilty about. It's just something parents need to have a level of mindfulness about relative to making sure we're setting up our home today for success — but that we're also setting up our kids for success long-term.' Look out for these signs that your child might be addicted to cell phones or video games, per the Mayo Clinic: Intense urges for screen time or video games that block out other thoughts. Cutting back on social or recreational activities because of preference for screen time or video games. Feeling irritable, anxiety, or anger when forced to stop playing, even for brief periods of time. Lying to others about the extent of their use. Needing more screen time over time to get the same level of enjoyment. Neglecting their appearance, including lack of interest in grooming or clothing. If you think your child is developing a phone or video game addiction, call their pediatrician and/or therapist for help managing their addiction in a screen-heavy of SheKnows Tween & Teen Slang 2025: A Definitive Guide to 'What the Hellyante' Your Kid Is Saying Right Now Celebrity Parents Who Are So Proud of Their LGBTQ Kids Recent Baby & Toddler Product Recalls Every Parent and Caregiver Should Know About
Indian Express
a day ago
- Health
- Indian Express
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 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. Xiao said interventions should focus on the child's addictive behavior, which is typically treated with cognitive behavioral 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 focus on addictive behavior 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.
Medscape
a day ago
- Health
- Medscape
Addictive Screen Use Risky for Teen Mental Health
Problematic patterns of digital media use — including compulsive social media scrolling, gaming, or phone checking — may be more harmful to adolescent mental health than overall screen time, new research suggested. Investigators found that teens with high or increasing levels of addictive digital use were more likely to report symptoms of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts or behaviors. In contrast, total screen time showed no consistent link to mental health outcomes. The findings support emerging evidence that addictive screen use may be a more salient risk factor for suicidality and mental health in adolescents, the researchers, led by Yunyu Xiao, PhD, Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian, noted. The study was published online on June 18 in JAMA . Filling a Data Gap Previous research has largely focused on total screen time rather than longitudinal addictive use trajectories. To address this gap, the investigators analyzed 4 years of data from 4285 children (mean age, 10 years; 48% women) participating in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. Validated self-report questionnaires were used to assess and track addictive use of social media, cell phones and video games, including compulsive habits, distress when not using these platforms, and failed attempts to cut back. The researchers used latent class linear mixed models to identify different trajectories of addictive screen use and classify adolescents into subgroups based on their screen use patterns over time. They found that nearly one third of participants had an increasing addictive use trajectory for social media or mobile phones starting at age 11 years. In adjusted models, increasing addictive use trajectories were associated with higher risks for suicide-related outcomes than low addictive use trajectories. Increasing addictive use of social media had a risk ratio of 2.14 for suicidal behaviors. Likewise, high addictive use trajectories across all screen types were associated with suicide-related outcomes. High-peaking addictive use of social media conferred a risk ratio of 2.39 for suicidal behaviors. Adolescents with high-peaking or increasing social media use or high video game use also had more internalizing symptoms such as depression/anxiety or externalizing symptoms such as aggression and rule-breaking. Notably, there was no significant correlation between baseline total screen time and any suicide-related or mental health outcomes. Adolescence — a Risky Time The authors of a linked editorial noted that adolescence is a vulnerable time for addictive behaviors in general and that young adolescents are particularly susceptible to screen addiction. They pointed out that the current study underscores the 'growing concern' around addictive screen use and its significant impact on the mental health of young people. 'While most interventions focus on limiting or monitoring screen time, the current study suggests that preventive strategies may also target trajectories or patterns of addictive screen use,' wrote Jason Nagata, MD, Christiane Helmer, MPH, and Abubakr Al-Shoaibi, PhD, with University of California, San Francisco. 'These results emphasize the importance of addressing not just screen time but also addictive behaviors in adolescents' and the need to 'conceptualize screen time and addictive use as separate constructs, particularly when examining associations with mental health outcomes,' the editorialists added. Experts Weigh In Several experts offered perspective on the study in a statement from the UK nonprofit Science Media Centre. Lisa Henderson, PhD, head of the Department of Psychology, University of York, York, England, called the study 'critical and timely' and one that contributes a 'much-needed large-scale longitudinal analysis to the debate on digital harms in young people.' The fact that 1 in 2 adolescents had a high addictive use trajectory for video games, 1 in 3 for social media, and 1 in 4 for mobile phone use, is 'alarming, although some caution should be taken in extrapolating these findings to now given this study spanned the pandemic,' Henderson commented. She also noted that the study did not directly address 'bidirectionality — that young people at greater risk of mental health problems may be more likely to turn to digital activities such as video gaming and social media, with this in turn feeding a further downward spiral in mental health.' Chris Ferguson, PhD, professor of psychology, Stetson University, DeLand, Florida, highlighted two takeaways from the study — one is that time spent on screens does not predict mental health, and the other is that for some kids overusing screens can be a red flag for other problems. Ferguson said it would be 'a mistake to think that removing screens would solve those problems…; this study doesn't show that. However, screen overuse can be a sign that kids are stressed in other areas. Other studies suggest this typically comes from schools and families, not the screens themselves.' Amy Orben, DPhil, with the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, said the study 'importantly highlights that why and how young people use technologies, and how they feel technologies affect their lives, may matter more to their mental health than the time spent online. As those reporting such issues are not a small proportion of the population, supporting them should be taken seriously.'
The Star
a day 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
2 days 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.
