ADHD Brains on Screens: Decoding a Complicated Relationship

Zoom is not a hammer. Instagram is not a shovel. Your iPad is not a screwdriver. We call these technologies “tools,” but they don’t perform a discrete function and then hibernate in the shed. These screens — used 8.5 hours a day, on average, by ADDitude readers during the pandemic — exert a powerful and sometimes nefarious influence on the ADHD brain. The wins and likes of video games and social media deliver the potent hits of dopamine that ADHD brains crave, a biological need also satisfied — albeit momentarily — by an impulsive Amazon purchase or a hilarious TikTok video. But the ADHD brain is never satisfied. Five hours of Fortnite today will not satiate; it will demand more tomorrow. Video game and social media dependence are dominant concerns today, according to a new survey of 885 ADDitude readers regarding technology use during the pandemic. Zoom is not a hammer. Instagram is not a shovel. Your iPad is not a screwdriver. We call these technologies “tools,” but they don’t perform a discrete function and then hibernate in the shed. These screens — used 8.5 hours a day, on average, by ADDitude readers during the pandemic — exert a powerful and sometimes nefarious influence on the ADHD brain. The wins and likes of video games and social media deliver the potent hits of dopamine that ADHD brains crave, a biological need also satisfied — albeit momentarily — by an impulsive Amazon purchase or a hilarious TikTok video. But the ADHD brain is never satisfied. Five hours of Fortnite today will not satiate; it will demand more tomorrow. Video game and social media dependence are dominant concerns today, according to a new survey of 885 ADDitude readers regarding technology use during the pandemic. Read More