A new study published on June 18 in JAMA reveals that children who excessively use screens, such as social media or cellphones, face a two to three times higher risk of suicidal ideation or behavior compared to their peers. This alarming finding underscores the potential dangers of addictive screen use on pediatric mental health.

Lead researcher Yunyu Xiao, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medical College, highlighted that the study’s most surprising discovery was that screen time alone did not directly predict mental health issues. Instead, the peer-reviewed research points to the specific patterns of compulsive social media and cellphone use as key factors driving the increased suicide risk, prompting urgent calls for further investigation and intervention.

The Defender reports: “It is not the total amount of time spent on screens that predicts suicide-related behaviors or mental health issues,” Xiao told The Defender. “Instead, it’s the quality and emotional dependence on screen use — not the quantity — that matters most.”

Will U.S. issue parental advisory for social media?

The study’s publication came one day after the Dutch government advised parents to keep kids younger than 15 off social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram due to physical and psychological problems, including depression, panic attacks and poor sleep.

When asked if she thought the U.S. should issue a similar advisory, Xiao said, “It’s an important question” since the study showed that “addictive use behaviors — common on platforms with endless scroll, algorithmic content, and social validation features — can increase mental health risk during a sensitive developmental window.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has not issued parental guidelines similar to the Dutch advisory. However, HHS Press Secretary Vianca N. Rodriguez Feliciano said the recent Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) report acknowledged research linking social media to heightened mental health issues, including emotional distress.

Rodriguez Feliciano said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is “deeply committed” to “addressing the growing impact of social media on youth mental health.”

Suicide is the 5th leading cause of death among U.S. preteens, according to the most recent research, released in July 2024 by the National Institutes of Health.

The U.S. surgeon general in 2023 issued an advisory on social media and youth mental health, but it only offers suggestions for parents. The advisory has not been updated to reflect more recent data.

The MAHA Commission is scheduled to announce a “Make our Children Healthy Again Strategy” within 80 days of the MAHA report, according to President Donald Trump’s Feb. 13 executive order.

Nearly 1 in 2 youths reported ‘high addictive use’ of cellphones

The JAMA study followed over 4,200 youth from 21 different sites across the U.S. who were taking part in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, touted as the country’s “largest long-term study of brain development and child health.”

Kids were ages 9 or 10 when they joined the ABCD Study. Each year from 2016 to 2022, the children completed a survey about their cellphone, social media and video game use.

The survey assessed the kids’ “addictive use” by asking them to rate how strongly they agreed with statements such as, “I feel the need to use social media apps more and more,” “The thought of being without my phone makes me feel distressed,” and “I play video games so I can forget about my problems.”

The researchers used statistical analysis to identify trends — which they called “trajectories” — in the kids’ digital behavior to see if those trends were linked to mental health issues.

According to the report:

“Almost 1 in 2 youths had a high addictive use trajectory for mobile phones, and more than 40% had a high addictive use trajectory for video games.

“Many others had increasing addictive use over the 4-year observation period that ended with high addictive use; almost 1 in 3 had this trajectory for social media and 1 in 4 for mobile phones.”

Both “high” and “increasing” addictive use trends of social media and cellphones were linked with two to three times greater risks of suicidal ideation and behaviors compared with the “low” addictive use trend.

For video games, they found that the “high” addictive trend was also linked to a higher risk of suicidal ideation and behaviors.

Researchers said many prior studies focused on tracking screen time, while their study was the first to look at kids’ addictive use of screens.

“The most important takeaway,” Xiao said, “is that not all screen time is harmful … in fact, many young people use screens for creative, educational, or social purposes without issue. However, when screen use becomes compulsive, interferes with daily life, and is difficult to control, it can signal a mental health risk.”

The authors noted that the study uses self-reported data, which some researchers have found to be more susceptible to bias than other types of data.

Their analysis also didn’t include other factors that might play a role in kids’ mental health and digital use, such as cyberbullying and adverse experiences in childhood.

Radiation from electronic devices compounds psychological harm

Miriam Eckenfels, director of Children’s Health Defense’s (CHD) Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) & Wireless Program, said screen time also exposes children to EMR — which has its own neurological and behavioral impacts.

“Each is harmful, together they are compounding,” Eckenfels said.

She cited a recent peer-reviewed study that showed holding a cellphone next to a healthy woman’s body caused her blood to abnormally clump up, even when the cellphone was an inch from her skin.

“Another recent study linked increased feelings of aggression, anger and hallucinations among teens in the U.S. and India to the progressively younger age at which children are acquiring cellphones,” Eckenfels said.

“And while people can regulate their screen time on devices, they are involuntarily exposed to EMR due to the reckless expansion of cell towers in U.S. neighborhoods.”

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