Importance: In 2023, the US Surgeon General issued the Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, identifying critical research gaps that preclude evidence-based guidance given that most studies of social media and mental health have been cross-sectional rather than longitudinal and have focused on young adults or older adolescents rather than on younger adolescents.Objective: To evaluate longitudinal associations between social media use (time spent on social media) and depressive symptoms across 4 annual waves spanning a 3-year follow-up period from late childhood to early adolescence.Design, Setting, and Participants: In this prospective cohort study using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study across 21 study sites from October 2016 to October 2018, children aged 9 to 10 years at baseline were assessed across 4 waves (baseline, year 1, year 2, and year 3), with year-3 follow-up through 2022. Sample sizes varied across waves and measures due to attrition and missing data. Analyses retained all available data at each wave. Data were analyzed from January 2024 to March 2025.Exposures: Self-reported time spent on social media at baseline to 3-year follow-up.Main Outcomes and Measures: Reciprocal associations between social media use and depressive symptoms (Child Behavior Checklist) at baseline and at 1, 2, and 3 years of follow-up were assessed using longitudinal, cross-lagged structural equation panel models. Covariates included sex, race and ethnicity, household income, and parental educational level.Results: At baseline, the sample included 11 876 participants (mean [SD] age, 9.9 [0.6] years), of whom 6196 (52.2%) were male. After adjusting for stable between-person differences and covariates, within-person increases in social media use above the person-level mean were associated with elevated depressive symptoms from year 1 to year 2 (β, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01-0.12; P = .01) and from year 2 to year 3 (β, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.04-0.14; P < .001), whereas depressive symptoms were not associated with subsequent social media use at any interval. The final random-intercept cross-lagged panel model demonstrated a good fit (comparative fit index, 0.977; Tucker-Lewis index, 0.968; root mean square error of approximation, 0.031 [90% CI, 0.029-0.033]). Between-person differences in social media use were not associated with depressive symptoms (β, −0.01; 95% CI, −0.04 to 0.02; P = .46) after accounting for demographic and family-level factors.Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of 11 876 children and adolescents, reporting higher than person-level mean social media use in years 1 and 2 after baseline was associated with greater depressive symptoms in the subsequent year. The findings suggest that clinicians should provide anticipatory guidance regarding social media use for young adolescents and their parents.

Background: To assess the prevalence of various media parenting practices and identify their associations with early adolescent screen time and problematic social media, video game, and mobile phone use. Methods: Cross-sectional data from Year 3 of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (2019–2022) that included 10,048 adolescents (12–13 years, 48.3% female, 45.6% racial/ethnic minorities) in the US were analyzed using multiple linear regression analyses adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Parent screen use, family mealtime screen use, and bedroom screen use were associated with greater adolescent screen time and problematic social media, video game, and mobile phone use. Parental use of screens to control behavior (e.g., as a reward or punishment) was associated with higher screen time and greater problematic video game use. Parental monitoring of screens was associated with lower screen time and less problematic social media and mobile phone use. Parental limit setting of screens was associated with lower screen time and less problematic social media, video game, and mobile phone use. Discussion: Parent screen use, mealtime screen use, and bedroom screen use were associated with higher adolescent problematic screen use and could be limited in a family media use plan. Parental monitoring and limiting of screen time are associated with less problematic screen use. Impact statement: Although the American Academy of Pediatrics provides guidance for screen use for children 5–18 years, there is a paucity of evidence-based guidance for media parenting practices, specifically for early adolescents. In a diverse sample of 10,048 early adolescents across the US, we found cross-sectional associations between parent, mealtime, and bedroom screen use and higher adolescent problematic screen use. Parental monitoring and limiting of adolescent screen time were cross-sectionally associated with less problematic screen use in our analytic sample and may be incorporated into a family media use plan.

To determine the association between cyberbullying (victimization and perpetration) and sleep disturbance among a demographically diverse sample of 10-14-year-old early adolescents. We analyzed cross-sectional data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (Year 2, 2018-2020) of early adolescents (10-14 years) in the US. Modified Poisson regression analyses examined the association between cyberbullying and self-reported and caregiver-reported sleep disturbance measures. In a sample of 9,443 adolescents (mean age 12.0 years, 47.9% female, 47.8% white), 5.1% reported cyberbullying victimization, and 0.5% reported cyberbullying perpetration in the past 12 months. Cyberbullying victimization in the past 12 months was associated with adolescent-reported trouble falling/staying asleep (risk ratio [RR] 1.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.57, 2.21) and caregiver-reported overall sleep disturbance of the adolescent (RR: 1.16 95% CI 1.00, 1.33), in models adjusting for sociodemographic factors and screen time. Cyberbullying perpetration in the past 12 months was associated with trouble falling/staying asleep (RR 1.95, 95% CI 1.21, 3.15) and caregiver-reported overall sleep disturbance of the adolescent (RR: 1.49, 95% CI 1.00, 2.22). Cyberbullying victimization and perpetration are associated with sleep disturbance in early adolescence. Digital media education and counseling for adolescents, parents, teachers, and clinicians could focus on guidance to prevent cyberbullying and support healthy sleep behavior for early adolescents.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents and families have turned to online activities and social platforms more than ever to maintain well-being, connect remotely with friends and family, and online schooling. However, excessive screen use can have negative effects on health (e.g., sleep). This study examined changes in sleep habits and recreational screen time (social media, video gaming), and their relationship, before and across the first year of the pandemic in adolescents in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Mixed-effect models were used to examine associations between self-reported sleep and screen time using longitudinal data of 5,027 adolescents in the ABCD Study, assessed before the pandemic (10-13 years) and across six time points between May 2020 and March 2021 (pandemic). Time in bed varied, being higher during May-August 2020 relative to pre-pandemic, partially related to the school summer break, before declining in October 2020 to levels lower than pre-pandemic. Screen time steeply increased and remained high across all pandemic time points relative to pre-pandemic. Higher social media use and video gaming were associated with shorter time in bed, later bedtimes, and longer sleep onset latency. Sleep behavior and screen time changed during the pandemic in early adolescents. More screen time was associated with poorer sleep behavior, before and during the pandemic. While recreational screen usage is an integral component of adolescent's activities, especially during the pandemic, excessive use can have negative effects on essential health behaviors, highlighting the need to promote balanced screen usage. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).