What New Research Says About Screen Time & ADHD (And Why Online Advice Gets It Wrong)

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0:00How many discounts does USAA Auto Insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount, safe driver discount, new vehicle discount, storage discount, legacy... How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usaa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. Hi, everyone. In today's episode, we are going to be talking about what some new brain research says about screen time and ADHD and why online advice gets it wrong. Welcome to the ADHD Parenting Podcast with Mike McLeod of Grow Now ADHD

0:30and Ryan Wexelblatt of ADHD Dude. Learn about parenting kids with ADHD from a licensed clinical social worker and speech-language pathologist who specializes in ADHD. No fluffy parenting advice, only practical information that will equip you to help your child with ADHD effectively.

Screen Time and ADHD

0:49So, Mike, to start off this episode, this is a topic I know is very dear to your heart, and we have some fundamental differences about, which is okay. You know, we can talk about that. Maybe they're not that different, but let's talk a little bit about the, you know, reality for working parents about screens because I think, you know, we need to acknowledge that, you know, for a lot of us, myself included, screens served as a babysitter a lot of the time, you know, particularly when I just was not up to, you know, doing the parenting thing. And, you know, I think we just want to, you know,

1:21start off by saying we're not judging anybody, you know, if screen time is excessive in your home. Rather, we just want to give you information, you know, based on data. And part of that is we will have citations in the show notes so you can see the research we're referring to, as well as this more recent article as well. So, Mike, why don't you start off talking a little bit about, you know, the lived reality for working parents and screen time for kids with ADHD? Exactly. So this episode is really going to touch on all the new brain research and what it says about screen time and ADHD.

1:52And everyone who knows this podcast knows I'm very clear about ADHD and how they're victims of all this screen stuff. But let's be honest, you know, when it comes to working parents, working moms, working dads, screens keep the peace, you know, at certain times. It's a temporary band-aid over that constant dysregulation, arguing and negotiating. They can buy some time. They give you some time to cook dinner or clean or help prepare. So you're not dealing with behaviors 24 hours a day. And at the end of the day,

2:24sometimes the fighting, the arguing is so exhausting, you want to just give them a screen because that tends to end the conflict at that time. But obviously, as we know, we'll talk about today, the research of what that actually does. And then in terms of the overall parent experience of trying to gain information on social media from experts, from influencers, there's a lot of confusion out there. There's a lot of confident online messaging that frames screens and gaming as healthy or relational.

2:55I see it all the time. And if I see it, parents are seeing it, of constant posts that screens and gaming are healthy and they help social relationships. And this messaging helps causes parents to feel a little bit of relief because they see how often their kids are on screens. They see them getting dysregulated by screens and it gives them that temporary relief that, oh, it's actually healthy. It's relational. It's social. It's how kids socialize now. It's normal. It's just what kids do now

3:25because this is the message being sent to them. But in this message today, Ryan and I are in full agreement. This episode is not anti-technology. It's about long-term brain development, not short-term survival. True, just like we say, no fluff, straight to the fact, parenting advice. And we're going to be talking about the most recent brain research. It was recently published. It's peer-reviewed neuroscience research. And it examines screen time,

3:56ADHD symptoms over time, and brain development. So the study that we're referencing here, and again, you can see it in the show notes, is from 2025. It's what's called a longitudinal design, which means it follows children over time rather than just does like one single snapshot. And what it looked at was amount of screen exposure, ADHD symptoms development. So looking at, you know, did they get worse? Did they get better? Did they remain the same? And structural brain differences. So an important clarification for everybody listening,

4:26this was not a parenting judgment study. It's not about blaming families. It was about patterns observed across development. So I just want you to keep that in mind. Okay, so Mike, why don't we talk a little bit about, you know, clarify things in terms of, you know, what differences in brain growth actually means. So what this study found was that higher screen time was associated with altered development in brain regions. And these very specific brain regions, we know more about the brain than ever before, and we're able to study exactly which regions are affected

4:58by what they're studying. And it alters the development in brain regions responsible for slowing down responses. So there's that impulsiveness, being able to wait and delay gratification, and then shifting attention and cognitive flexibility. So all the ADHD parents listening to this right now, you know, all three of those things are what you would say are pure ADHD symptoms. And these regions underpin executive functioning skills already delayed in children with ADHD.

5:32So this is an incredibly important point here, that higher screen time was associated with underdevelopment of executive functioning skills, which are already delayed in ADHD kids. So that is the number one thing that I want you to take away from what we're describing right now, is screens have a negative impact on executive functioning skills, which we know ADHD kids struggle with. So once again, coming back to my point that it's our ADHD youth that are the biggest victims of what big tech is doing. And one thing if you're new to our podcast is,

6:04we want to emphasize that the way executive function skills develop naturally is through active, socially demanding experiences. And here's what we mean by that. You know, in digital interaction, so, you know, interacting through screens, you know, even playing video games like Minecraft through screens, whatever, it lacks unpredictability. It lacks in-person, real-time emotional feedback. And it lacks the cognitive load required for executive function growth. So while screens may feel interactive, I want you to keep in mind,

6:34they do not require children to accurately read facial expressions, adjust their behavior moment by moment. And you can make the argument and say, oh, yes, they do. Well, you know what? Not in the same way that it does in person. They do not require kids to negotiate disagreement or tolerate social frustration in the same way that in-person interactions do. So, Mike, I want to use this analogy with everyone that think about when you were younger, you know, and you were spending time with friends or maybe, you know, kids in your neighborhood,

7:05and there would be some kind of conflict. Well, adults, you know, unless maybe you were Mike's generation, adults didn't rush out to, you know, fix everything. Things got worked out on their own. And if somebody was upset, they went home, you know, and then the next day things were typically better again. All those things that we're talking about here, that's how social and executive function skills develop naturally through this unstructured time with peers in person without adults hovering or directing or trying to fix things, okay?

7:35And that is so incredibly important because those experiences are what help kids mature and it's what helps their executive function and social skills mature as well. Without that, we are taking away an organic way for kids to develop these skills. And there's no way to replicate that, okay? No matter what you read from, you know, whoever online that, no, playing Minecraft, playing Roblox is not a replacement for in-person social interactions. And, you know, Mike and I, you know, have heard this not just from influencers, but from other professionals as well.

8:07And I think, Mike, I don't want to speak for you, but when I hear that, what I think about is, are you trying to appease parents by making them say you can avoid discomfort or are you really trying to do what you think is helpful for kids? And I think it's the first one. It's not the second one. Yeah, and honestly, the data has been so overwhelming in terms of the youth mental health crisis, screens, our neurodivergent kids being victims of all of this. I've been very outspoken about my thoughts on screens. And in terms of professionals coming out and saying that screens are social

8:38and screens help regulate, at this point, there's so much science and so much data. If you're really saying that as a professional, you've got to look yourself in the mirror and really think about what you're saying because that's very, it's incredibly unprofessional and it's wrong to say those sorts of things and spread that kind of misinformation. And Ryan and I talk all the time about the true heartbreak of ADHD and it is the lack of social executive functions and an inability to make friends and keep friends. Then all of a sudden you have this product that's marketed as a social tool.

9:09And what's the best way to sell a product? Through fear-based marketing. If you don't buy this for your child, they're not going to have friends. They're going to be left out. They're going to be alienated. So this is such a hard time to be a parent because you have these, you know, so many kids now have phones and have access to games and all these different things, but it's our ADHD kids that are going to get so sucked in. And Ryan is describing this. These are not real social experiences, period. Making friends on video games is not going to help you in college, in career, work as a team, make friends, keep friends, any of those sorts of things.

9:41Not real social experiences. I have the quote that I've used many times. Big tech sells to parents that screens are going to make them social, smart, and safe. But we now have over 10 years of data that tells us that screens make kids depressed, dependent, and dormant. And what Ryan was just talking about, executive functions are never going to be strengthened through lectures and worksheets and video games and screens. They're strengthened through relationships and experiences.

10:12So, and Jonathan Haidt talks about it in his book, The Anxious Generation, that screens are experience killers. So for all my parents listening out there, The Anxious Generation was a bestseller. It sold millions and millions of copies. It still is. And it still is. But here's my question to parents. How many of you read The Anxious Generation, closed it, put it back on the bookshelf, and didn't do anything about it? That's a good question to ask. So we want to talk just briefly about, you know, something that Mike and I have seen in the past few years, which is really disturbing,

10:43which is this whole message of screens are regulating for kids with neurodevelopmental differences. And I think we need to really fully acknowledge why that is emotionally appealing. Well, number one, it can reduce guilt about, you know, limiting your kid's screen time, especially when they start to use emotional blackmail on you and say, you don't care about me having friends, you don't care how I feel, and so on. You know, it validates your exhaustion. It minimizes daily conflict. And that's the biggest part here, is that things that minimize conflict and allow parents who maybe have a propensity

11:14to be conflict avoidant that allows them to avoid conflict, that is very popular, okay? So these messages about screen times being regulating, they're persuasive because they remove discomfort for parents, not because they build capacity for kids. So I want to say that again, because this is the one takeaway I want you to take from this episode. When you hear those messages about screens being good or social for kids, or they're regulating, it's because they remove discomfort for parents, not because they build skills or capacity for kids.

11:44So please keep that in mind. So what we need here is parents need to understand the facts about screen time, not social media pseudoscience and these influencers telling you what you want to hear for likes and follows. So the number one thing, Ryan and I have an entire episode, an entire podcast episode called Your Child Is Not Your Co-Parent. We have to remember that, and you have to remember that when it comes to your screen time limits and what screens look like in your home. Parents do not need child approval

12:14to make developmentally sound decisions about screen use. Your child's behaviors, their anger, their emotional manipulation, telling you you're the worst parents ever, all my friends have all the screens, none of my friends put limits on them. You don't need their approval to do the right thing and to follow the science. And seeking agreement or emotional buy-in shifts the adult responsibility onto a developing brain that can't handle it. So the more you make the child the co-parent and allow them to make decisions

12:45about their screen use, the more anxiety we're giving them. And this dynamic often increases conflict rather than reducing it because the child now feels like I'm the leader of the house. And there's so many screens around and I can use my behaviors to get as much screen use as I want. So that's a big thing I want parents to think about is how often do my kids get screens as a result of their behaviors? Because that's a pretty easy cause and effect that their brains learn. So for parents,

13:16leadership does not require consensus. Boundaries are not negotiations. You set them, you stick to them, and they do not break because of a behavior. Screen decisions should be guided by developmental needs, not emotional comfort in the moment. So Ryan and I talk about how on social media, parents always hear all behavior is communication, but you only want to believe that when it's warm and fuzzy and makes you feel good. Oh, it's just a conflict. It's just a connection-seeking behavior.

13:47He just needs to be hugged more and talked to more and co-regulated with more and get down on his level and validate his feelings. And we believe that behavior is communication when it feels good. But how often is your child telling you with their behaviors, you gave me too many screens too soon. My brain is not ready for this level of stimulation. No kid is going to come up to you and just say that word for word verbatim. They're going to tell you with their behaviors. So if they're obsessing over it, they're sneaking it,

14:18they're misusing their Chromebook at school, they use big behaviors around screens, they can't do any non-screen-based tasks, their brain is not ready and limits are not going to work. So Mike, I just want to make a point about something you just said because one of the questions that I'm sure we both get all the time is, well, what do I do about, you know, my child switching screens in class or they're doing homework and they're constantly going on YouTube? My answer to that is, that is not your problem. That is the school's problem. So if you have an issue with that, what you need to do is reach out to your child's school,

14:49find out about who the technology director is at the school, send an email to them along with the principal, assistant principal, whoever, and say, look, you know, my child has ADHD and having access to YouTube on their school-issued device is really problematic and I'm trying to help them build their executive functioning and I can't help them build this if I have to, you know, be monitoring them to make sure that they're getting things done because I'm not trying to keep them prompt dependent on me, I'm trying to get them to use their own executive functioning. The only way this will ever change

15:20is if parents put pressure on schools to stop giving kids access to these things, okay, during the school day or, you know, at home, whatever it is on their school-issued devices. So again, the answer is, you know, if this is your question, speak to the, you know, technology director at the school, the principal, CC both of them, even, you know, if there's a technology director for the school district, CC them on the email as well. This is the only way things are ever going to change with that. My advice for all parents out there that are having issues with ed tech,

15:51go to Google right now type in Ed Tech Law Andy Liddell and have a totally free conversation with Andy Liddell of the Ed Tech Law Firm so you can know your rights around Chromebooks because what a coincidence. At most, 90% of Ed Tech is Google Chromebooks. And what does Google own? YouTube. And all of a sudden, YouTube has become a major part of education where, oh, we can't block it. Teachers have to use it. And you would be surprised

16:22to know how often your child's on YouTube watching non-educational videos at school. So please go to Ed Tech Law, Andy Liddell, have a free confidential conversation with him and know your rights as a parent when it comes to Ed Tech. So, Mike, that was excellent advice. And I also second that, you know, parents should, you know, take advantage of that. So to finish up, you know, what I just want to remind everybody is that the best predictors of future success in life are not your child's intelligence. It's not their grades. It's not if they're, you know, twice exceptional. It's their executive function skills,

16:54which includes cognitive flexibility and the ability to manage their emotions as well as the other executive function skills many of you are familiar with. And it's their ability to form social relationships. So going back to what we talked about earlier, the two best predictors of future success in life are dependent on kids having in-person social interactions where they experience what Dr. Camilo Ortiz, who we had on as a guest before, calls the four Ds. They have to have tremendous experience with disappointment, disagreement,

17:25distress, and mild danger. And when we talk about mild danger, we're talking about, you know, taking the train by themselves or like, you know, going, you know, on an errand by themselves, those kind of things. Without those experiences, we're denying kids the opportunity to build these executive function and social skills naturally. And, you know, one thing we want to remind everybody about is that the calm that you might achieve by removing demands for your child, that does not build frustration. It does not build frustration tolerance. It doesn't build flexibility. And it does not build

17:56emotional regulation. In fact, it hinders those things. And skill building often looks harder in the short term, but it supports long-term growth. So just keep that in mind. So overall, we want to make sure

Conclusion and Recommendations

18:07we have some key takeaways for all the listeners here. Number one, screen time does not cause ADHD. It's not going to create ADHD, but it is associated with how ADHD symptoms develop over time. So screens don't cause ADHD. They can cause ADHD symptoms and they can create a delay in the development of executive functioning skills and obviously increase dysregulation. And if they do have ADHD and they have too many screens,

18:37it is going to make those behaviors worse. And brain regions responsible for slowing down, waiting, shifting attention, grow through real-world practice. So just like Jonathan Haidt says, screens are experience killers. The second screens come into a child's life, it becomes their comfort zone, their number one preferred task, all they want to do, and they stop having experiences. Once they stop having experiences, they stop developing executive functioning skills. And it's a very serious problem

19:07with today's youth. And the biggest thing, screens cannot replace in-person social interaction for building executive functioning and social skills. Many times it's a cognitive distortion. Parents tell themselves so they can feel comfortable with their child's screen use. Screens are not social. They never have been. They never will be. And just as a reminder for everybody that you do not need your child's approval to set limits around screen use. As I always say, your child is not your co-parent. They need you to lead them. And again, you know,

19:38the calm that you might achieve by removing demands, such as say like, okay, you can be on screens for, you know, eight hours or whatever it is, you know, that's not the same as competence built through skill building, okay? And, you know, the other thing we want to remind everybody of, because this is so popular on parenting social media, particularly neurodiverse parenting social media, is that emotionally appealing online messages, what I tend to, my nickname for them is momspiration messages that are emotionally compelling, particularly to mothers.

20:09They minimize the long-term developmental trade-offs of what happens when you give kids excessive screen time and what they lose in return. Because again, those emotionally compelling messages are about helping you avoid distress and keeping you comfortable. It's not about what's going to help your child. And lastly, the evidence here supports structured moderation and prioritizing real interaction over digital convenience. And if you want to see the article we're referring to, it's the article from 2025

20:39in the show notes here. And we also put some other resources in there as well that we took from for this episode. So, last, very last thing I want to mention, and this is just kind of to, you know, put it out there. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation for screen time is one hour on school days maximum, two hours maximum on weekends. And I'm not, you know, I don't have an opinion on that. I'm just saying that's what it is. And, you know, obviously there's some research behind that. Thank you so much for listening. And if you could please leave a positive review if you found this episode

21:10helpful or other episodes, please leave us a positive review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and we will speak to you soon. Thanks so much. Take care. Thanks for listening. To learn more about Mike's practice, Grow Now ADHD, please visit his website, grownowadhd.com. To learn about the services Ryan provides, please visit adhddude.com. You can find Mike on Instagram at grownowadhd and Ryan on the ADHD Dude YouTube channel.

21:40We'd love to hear your feedback or questions, so feel free to contact us at the ADHD Parenting Podcast at gmail.com. The ADHD Parenting Podcast and content posted by Grow Now ADHD or ADHD Dude are presented solely for general information and educational purposes. Our goal is to provide valuable insights and knowledge, not to replace professional services. Mike and Ryan cannot provide clinical consultation or free advice through social media or other forms of communication.

22:11The information on this podcast is not a substitute for professional advice. If you or your child have any medical or mental health concerns, please consult your healthcare professionals.