Study: Digital addiction among children linked to higher risk of suicidal thoughts

07/02/2025 / By Ava Grace

Nearly half of American children are addicted to digital devices, leading to a surge in suicidal thoughts and behaviors, with addiction starting as early as age 11.
Compulsive, emotionally dependent use – not total screen time – drives mental health risks, including depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation.
Tech platforms like TikTok and Instagram use addictive designs (endless scroll, dopamine triggers) that mimic gambling, rewiring young brains.
Beyond mental health risks, electromagnetic radiation (EMF) from devices disrupts cardiovascular health, compounding the crisis.
Governments lag in regulation, so parents must treat addictive apps like controlled substances, banning them, enforcing tech-free zones and monitoring warning signs.

A groundbreaking study published in JAMA has exposed a chilling reality: Nearly half of American children are addicted to their digital devices, and this dependency is driving an alarming surge in suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Tracking over 4,200 children from ages nine to 15, researchers found that compulsive phone, social media and video game use – not just screen time – is rewiring young brains, creating a generation of digital drug addicts. The findings reveal a mental health catastrophe unfolding in plain sight, fueled by tech giants engineering products as addictive as gambling machines.

The study’s most disturbing revelation? Addiction takes root early. By age 11, nearly one-third of children exhibited escalating dependency on screens, with behaviors mirroring substance abuse. Kids reported distress when separated from their phones, obsessive planning around social media use and an inability to cut back despite negative consequences. These aren’t bored teens – they’re victims of algorithms designed to exploit developing brains. (Related: Groundbreaking study reveals vicious cycle between screen time and childhood emotional struggles.)

Unlike past generations, today’s children are guinea pigs in an unregulated experiment. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram deploy endless scroll, dopamine-triggering notifications and algorithmic manipulation to keep users hooked. The result? A two to three times higher risk of suicidal ideation among addicted youth compared to peers.

It’s not screen time – it’s the addiction that kills

Contrary to popular belief, total screen time wasn’t the culprit. A child could spend hours on educational apps without harm. The danger lies in how they engage: compulsive use, emotional reliance and using screens to escape reality. Dr. Yunyu Xiao, the study’s lead researcher, emphasized that addiction – not minutes logged – predicts mental collapse.

Xiao, said, “And these youth are significantly more likely to report suicidal behaviors and thoughts.”

Video games followed a similar pattern: 41 percent of kids showed high addiction, while social media ensnared a third. These platforms are engineered to mimic slot machines, exploiting neurological reward systems. The consequences are dire: depression, anxiety, aggression and, most tragically, suicide, now the fifth-leading cause of death for preteens.

The physical toll: EMF radiation and a broken generation

Beyond psychological damage, children face invisible physical harm. Electromagnetic radiation (EMF) from wireless devices disrupts cardiovascular health, causing blood cell clumping, arrhythmias and stress hormone spikes. One study found that merely holding a phone near the body triggered abnormal blood clotting. Combine this with psychological stress and the result is a generation under siege, mentally and physically.

While the Netherlands bans social media for under-15s over mental health risks, U.S. regulators offer limp advisories. The surgeon general’s 2023 warning remains unchanged, despite this study’s bombshell data. Tech giants, meanwhile, target ever-younger audiences with predatory designs, prioritizing profit over children’s survival.

And the more time these kids spent on social media, the more their depressive symptoms increased. This isn’t a call to abandon technology – it’s a demand for vigilance. Parents must ban addictive platforms, treating social media and algorithm-driven apps like controlled substances. Warning signs – distress when offline, escalating use, or escapism – should trigger immediate action. Creating tech-free zones in bedrooms and during meals can help, as can educating families on the compounding risks of EMF exposure.

This study is a fire alarm. A generation is being sacrificed to digital opium, with suicide rates as the grim metric of failure. Parents must act where governments have failed – before more children become statistics. The time for half-measures is over. The survival of America’s youth depends on it.

Watch and learn about the dangers of too much screen time and how it is destroying your kids’ brains.

This video is from Mgibsonofficial on Brighteon.com.