Study: Addictive social media use impacts youth mental health

By Beth Negus Viveiros
September 1st, 2025
Carmine DiChiara, Psy.D., a Newton, MA-based psychologist.
Carmine DiChiara, Psy.D., a Newton, MA-based psychologist.

A new study has found that addictive use of technology such as social media, video games, or mobile phones is a factor in worsening mental health among preteens.
In the study, conducted by Columbia's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medicine, nearly 4,300 children’s social media use was examined over the course of four years, starting at age eight.
Addictive use of screens that interfered with school, home life, and other responsibilities, was common. Both high and increasingly addictive screen use was associated with anxiety, depression, or aggression, as well as suicidal behaviors and thoughts.
Over time, use pat...

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