Linking social media use, thinking skills, and brain connections—especially in youth with ADHD
Karim Ibrahim, PhD, shared early results on links among social media use, executive function (or thinking skills), and how different parts of the brain work together in young people. Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, his team is measuring screen time in two ways: what teens report and what is tracked by a phone app. He described how the phone app helps sort participants into “low” and “high” social media use groups His team is also studying groups with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
“Understanding how social media use impacts brain development in youth is a pressing question, especially during sensitive periods of development,” Ibrahim noted. Early findings show that teens who use more social media display different patterns in executive functioning—skills like paying attention, controlling impulses, and staying organized. These differences were stronger in young people with more behavior problems that are shown outwardly, such as aggression, frequent anger, irritability, and refusing to follow rules.
Ibrahim is also exploring whether fast-paced digital media (like TikTok and YouTube Shorts) affects brain function and connections differently in youth with and without ADHD. His team is developing a new brain-imaging task with participants watching short clips during a brain scan. This is to study how the speed and style of content might shape brain connectivity. The long-term goal is to inform evidence-based programs and policies that support healthier digital media habits and reduce cognitive, social, and emotional risks—especially for children who have ADHD.
Mapping social media use to problematic behaviors and psychiatric symptoms over time
Marc Potenza, MD, and Jennifer Park, PhD, briefly shared early findings from their study on social media use and harmful or risky behaviors. They are using ABCD study data to identify specific symptom-to-symptom interactions across four areas of concern. They want to understand how these patterns connect to ADHD, depression, and anxiety.
Potenza emphasized broader implications for mental health frameworks and future research directions. He highlighted the importance of gaining a detailed understanding of behavior and longitudinal research, which follows the same group of people over time. The team plans to lead focus groups with young people to better understand how problematic social media use affects mental health. They will explore strategies to reduce problematic use and plan to develop a toolkit to promote healthier digital behaviors.