Research Letter
Social Media Use Trajectories and Cognitive Performance in Adolescents
Jason M. Nagata, Jennifer H. Wong, Kristen E. Kim, et al
JAMA Published Online: October 13, 2025
doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.16613
Social media is an increasingly important aspect of early adolescent lives, and trajectories of use have been correlated with negative psychosocial outcomes.1,2 Studies of the link between total screen time and cognitive performance in those aged 9 to 11 years from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study have shown mixed results.3,4 However, unlike passive screen time, social media use typically involves interactive, personalized, and cognitively demanding activities, yet there is a paucity of studies that have analyzed the associations between distinct longitudinal social media usage patterns and multiple domains of cognitive functioning.
This study examined the relationship between longitudinal patterns of social media use and cognitive performance 2 years later in a diverse, national sample of early adolescents. The study hypothesis was that greater social media use would be associated with lower cognitive performance.
Methods
Prospectively collected data from the ABCD study were analyzed from 3 time points: baseline (2016-2018, ages 9-10 years), year 1 (2017-2019), and year 2 (2018-2020). Institutional review board approval was obtained from the University of California, San Diego, and each study site. Written informed consent and assent were obtained from guardians and children, respectively.
Social media time (hours per day) trajectories from baseline to year 2 were determined using group-based trajectory modeling (eMethods in Supplement 1). This modeling characterized distinct patterns of social media use over time. Cognitive performance was determined using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox Cognition Battery. Multiple linear regression analyses with robust standard errors estimated the association between social media trajectories and year 2 cognitive performance scores (5 subtests and composite). Models adjusted for baseline variables including age, sex, race and ethnicity, household income, parent education, attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms, depression symptoms, respective baseline cognitive score, other screen time, and study site. Analyses were weighted to approximate the American Community Survey by the US Census.
Results
In the analytic sample of 6554 adolescents, 51.1% were male and 48.9% were female. Three trajectory groups emerged over ages 9 to 13 years: no or very low social media use (57.6%, +0.3 h/d by age 13 years), low increasing social media use (36.6%, +1.3 h/d), and high increasing social media use (5.8%, +3.0 h/d) (Figure). The following findings are comparisons with the reference group, no or very low social media use. Low increasing social media use was associated with lower performance scores (negative differences in mean) on the Oral Reading Recognition Test (ORRT) (−1.39 [95% CI, −2.10 to −0.68]), Picture Sequence Memory Test (PSMT) (−2.03 [95% CI, −2.91 to −1.15]), Picture Vocabulary Test (PVT) (−2.09 [95% CI, −2.78 to −1.41]), and total composite score (−0.85 [95% CI, −1.30 to −0.40]) (Table). High increasing social media use was associated with poorer performance on the ORRT (−1.68 [95% CI, −3.08 to −0.28]), PSMT (−4.51 [95% CI, −6.48 to −2.54]), PVT (−3.85 [95% CI, −5.34 to −2.37]), and total composite score (−1.76 [95% CI, −2.72 to −0.81]).
Figure. Social Media Time Trajectories by Age
Table. Cognitive Functioning Scores Across Social Media Trajectories (Ages 9-13 Years) in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (N = 6554)a
| Social media time trajectory | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No or very low use, unadjusted mean (SD) | Low increasing, unadjusted mean (SD) | High increasing, unadjusted mean (SD) | |||
| Flanker test | 97.6 (14.2) | 95.4 (14.0) | 94.3 (14.6) | ||
| Oral reading recognition | 103.5 (16.9) | 99.4 (15.9) | 96.7 (14.1) | ||
| Picture sequence memory | 108.2 (16.2) | 104.7 (16.5) | 100.3 (16.1) | ||
| Pattern comparison processing speed | 108.3 (20.8) | 107.8 (20.7) | 106.9 (21.3) | ||
| Picture vocabulary | 106.3 (15.6) | 99.6 (14.6) | 94.8 (14.4) | ||
| Total composite score | 104.8 (10.6) | 101.4 (10.4) | 98.6 (10.4) | ||
| Adjusted mean (95% CI) | Adjusted mean (95% CI) | Adjusted mean (95% CI) | |||
| Flanker test | 96.9 (96.4 to 97.4) | 96.2 (95.7 to 96.8) | 96.0 (94.3 to 97.7) | ||
| Oral reading recognition | 102.2 (101.8 to 102.7) | 100.8 (100.3 to 101.3) | 100.5 (99.3 to 101.8) | ||
| Picture sequence memory | 107.5 (106.9 to 108.0) | 105.4 (104.8 to 106.1) | 103.0 (101.1 to 104.8) | ||
| Pattern comparison processing speed | 107.7 (107.0 to 108.4) | 108.4 (107.5 to 109.2) | 109.3 (107.1 to 111.6) | ||
| Picture vocabulary | 104.2 (103.8 to 104.6) | 102.1 (101.6 to 102.6) | 100.3 (98.9 to 101.7) | ||
| Total composite score | 103.6 (103.3 to 103.9) | 102.8 (102.4 to 103.1) | 101.8 (101.0 to 102.7) | ||
| Difference in mean (95% CI) | Difference in mean (95% CI) | P value | Difference in mean (95% CI) | P value | |
| Flanker test | [Reference] | −0.67 (−1.45 to 0.11) | .09 | −0.90 (−2.72 to 0.92) | .33 |
| Oral reading recognition | [Reference] | −1.39 (−2.10 to −0.68) | <.001 | −1.68 (−3.08 to −0.28) | .02 |
| Picture sequence memory | [Reference] | −2.03 (−2.91 to −1.15) | <.001 | −4.51 (−6.48 to −2.54) | <.001 |
| Pattern comparison processing speed | [Reference] | 0.65 (−0.48 to 1.78) | .26 | 1.61 (−0.75 to 3.98) | .18 |
| Picture vocabulary | [Reference] | −2.09 (−2.78 to −1.41) | <.001 | −3.85 (−5.34 to −2.37) | <.001 |
| Total composite score | [Reference] | −0.85 (−1.30 to −0.40) | <.001 | −1.76 (−2.72 to −0.81) | <.001 |
Discussion
This analysis found that both low and high increases in social media use throughout early adolescence were significantly associated with lower performance in specific aspects of cognitive function, supporting a prior finding that greater screen time was negatively but weakly associated with adolescent cognitive performance.5 Overall, the differences in mean scores were small relative to the NIH Toolbox standard deviation of 15. Previous literature has hypothesized that social media use replacing more educational activities or schoolwork may explain the association between social media use and lower cognitive performance.6 The specific associations between increasing social media use and poorer performance on the ORRT and PVT, which tests stored language knowledge, support this hypothesis. The finding that even low levels of early adolescent social media exposure were linked to poorer cognitive performance may suggest support for stricter age restrictions. Limitations of this study include self-reported social media data, potential residual confounding, and an observational study design that precludes inferring that social media trajectories cause worse cognitive performance. Future studies should examine how specific social media platforms and content relate to cognitive outcomes.
