Overview

• UNICEF and UNESCO caution that excessive social media use can harm children’s mental and physical health, challenging myths about innate digital proficiency.
• The JAMA analysis, led by Jason Nagata and drawing on the NIH-backed ABCD cohort, assessed more than 6,500 children over several years.
• Children using social media about one hour a day scored roughly 1–2 points lower in reading and memory, with declines reaching about 4 points at more than three hours daily.
• Authors stress the associations do not prove causation and recommend careful interpretation alongside further research into underlying mechanisms.
• With INEGI reporting that 95% of Mexican adolescents go online for about 4.5 hours daily, agencies and researchers urge adult supervision, time limits, school phone restrictions and stronger platform safeguards.