“I hate when people say that kind of stuff because I agree, it’s a sacrifice if you’re actually a good father.”
Is social media bad for kids?
According to a new study, the answer to that question is a resounding “yes.”
The study, conducted by Karolinska Institutet and published in “Pediatrics Open Science” on Dec. 8, analyzed the effects screen time had on 8,324 children around the age of 10 over a four-year period.
Screen time was split between one of three categories: social media, TV/videos and video games.
On average, the children spent 2.3 hours per day watching television and/or videos, 1.5 hours daily playing video games and 1.4 hours daily on social media, per the study.
What the researchers found was rather shocking.
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Those who spent a significant amount of time on social media, including Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook and X, saw a gradual increase in ADHD-related symptoms.
But the same wasn’t observed for kids whose screen time primarily consisted of TV and video games.
“Our study suggests that it is specifically social media that affects children’s ability to concentrate,” Torkel Klingberg, professor of cognitive neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet, said in a news release.
“Social media entails constant distractions in the form of messages and notifications, and the mere thought of whether a message has arrived can act as a mental distraction,” he continued.
“This affects the ability to stay focused and could explain the association,” he added.
According to the authors’ findings, social media use increased from around 30 minutes per day at age 9 to 2.5 hours per day by age 13 — despite many platforms requiring users to be teenagers.
The authors advocated for “stricter age verification and clearer guidelines” from tech companies.
“Policymakers should reinforce regulations to limit access for younger children and ensure platforms are age appropriate to support healthy development,” the authors wrote of their findings.
Screen time for kids — including social media — is on the rise
The new study comes at a time when children are being exposed to technology at a much earlier age.
According to a 2025 census by Common Sense Media, 40% of children today have a tablet by the age of two and roughly 25% of children have their own smartphone by the age of eight.
“Among parents, 75% to 80% express consistent concerns about screen media, including worries about excessive use, effects on mental health, and the amount of inappropriate content,” the report reads.
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Not only that, but studies estimate that more than 11% of children in the U.S. (about 1 in 9) have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point — and ADHD in kids has steadily increased over the past decade.
Many celebrities — including Lainey Wilson and Robbie Williams — have voiced their concerns about screen time and social media for kids.
“They don’t have phones,” Williams said of his kids in an interview with ITV News where he described screen time as a “corrosive drug” and “abuse.”
“They’re not going to have phones for as long as humanly possible,” he added.
Wilson, for her part, noticed the difference less screen time for kids makes when she met 17-year-old twin boys who had never used social media before.
"They were just, for 17 years old, carrying on great conversation, making eye contact — you could tell they were raised right," she said of the twins on the “This Past Weekend” podcast with Theo Von.
The new study all but validates the concerns many people have about social media for kids.
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“We hope that our findings will help parents and policymakers make well-informed decisions on healthy digital consumption that support children’s cognitive development,” says the study’s first author Samson Nivins.
