Study design and overall findings
The longitudinal study included 645 Dutch adolescents with two measurement waves around the age of 16 years. Overall, the researchers found no general bidirectional or reinforcing associations between problematic digital media use and mental health difficulties. This indicates that problematic use does not affect all adolescents in the same way.
Differences between boys and girls
Clear differences emerged between boys and girls. Among girls, emotional problems preceded later problematic social media use and gaming, suggesting that anxiety and depressive symptoms may function as risk factors. Among boys, problematic gaming preceded later emotional problems, while hyperactivity and attention problems preceded later problematic social media use, pointing to different developmental pathways.
The role of social support
The study also showed that higher perceived social support weakened the association between emotional problems and later problematic gaming. This finding highlights the potential protective role of social support and illustrates the added value of longitudinal cohort data for understanding complex mental health trajectories in young people.
About the ABCD study
The ABCD study is a large, population-based birth cohort that has been following children born in Amsterdam from pregnancy into adolescence, collecting data on health, development, and social factors over time. More information about this study can be found on the ABCD website.
Further reading
The full article is available open access in the Journal of Research on Adolescence: https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.70076