Problematic Social Media use in Individuals with ADHD: Associations with Screen Time, Motives, Content, and Psychosocial Functioning

Abstract This study aimed to investigate screen time, addictive social media use, motives, and content, and their associations with psychosocial outcomes among individuals diagnosed with ADHD. High school and university students with ADHD ( n = 100) and a matched control group ( n = 400) completed a survey assessing a large range of social media use variables, psychosocial problems, self-esteem, and social problems. Individuals in the ADHD group had a significantly higher prevalence of social media disorder (15% vs. 3.3%). They rated the motives Escape and Social Compensation as more important, while controls rated Entertainment and Social Maintenance as more important. Regarding content, ADHD participants engaged more frequently with negative and sexual content. Social media variables explained 40–46% of the variance in psychosocial outcomes. Social media use was more strongly associated with psychosomatic problems, but not low self-esteem and social problems, among those with ADHD compared to controls. Our findings provide valuable insights for developing effective prevention and support programs targeting problematic social media use among individuals with ADHD.