The suicide rate of teens who are addicted to screens is double that of other teenagers

Teenagers hooked on screens—not just glued to their phones, but genuinely unable to stop—are twice as likely to consider or attempt suicide, according to a four-year study tracking over 4,000 adolescents, the Guardian wrote. 

This isn’t a question of how many hours your child spends gaming or scrolling. This is about whether the child has spiraled into compulsive, addictive use that interferes with sleep, schoolwork or social life. In this study, the warning signs were loud and clear. One in three teens fell into “increasingly addicted” use patterns.

The statistics are stark. Around half of those who used mobile phones showed high levels of addiction right from the beginning. This continued as they aged. Another quarter developed increasingly addictive habits. 41% of social media users have high or increasing levels of addiction. Video games? More than 40 percent also had a path of high addiction.

Being in those high-risk groups translates to two to three times greater odds of suicidal thoughts or behaviours—and that’s before you factor in anxiety, depression, aggression or acting-out issues. And here’s the kicker: simply spending a lot of time on a screen didn’t predict poor mental health—compulsion did.

It is not enough to ban the use of mobile phones

Dr Yunyu Xiao who headed the research at Weill Cornell summarizes: “The conversation around mobile phones has been focused on limiting and banning their use but our results show that more complex factors are involved.” She doesn’t say “ban it now.” Her point is we need the same kind of support we give kids with other addictions—cues, interventions, coping strategies, not just screen time limits.

Yunyu said that one possible way to address this type of mobile and social media use is by testing interventions that have been proven effective against other addictions.

The implications are huge. The government is unsure of how to protect the minds of young people. The pressure is on mental health teams. Students who are unable to unplug themselves from their devices cause problems in schools. Families who are caught in the middle of fear and frustration may be tempted by their own fears to confiscate electronic devices, without dealing with the real issues.

There is no quick fix. Xiao notes that half-measures—like taking phones away only at night—might do more harm than good. Researchers have found that partial access to screens triggers obsession. Kids sneak screens in, anxiety increases, and compulsion grows.

Suicidal behavior is fueled by a lack of self-control

Amy Orben of Cambridge adds another important caveat. The study does not prove screen addiction leads to mental illness. It’s possible that impulsivity and lack of self control fuel both addiction to screen use and suicidal behavior. But she stresses the point: it’s how teens use tech—and how they feel about it—that counts.

This is important. The number of children classified as “compulsively addicted” is not small. These aren’t isolated cases. Teens are being affected by an invisible addiction that is hidden behind the everyday scrolling, gaming and chatting.

What must be done now is so obvious that it’s almost embarrassing. We must teach parents, teachers, and children how to recognize signs of addiction, not only track the time. We need research-based policies, funding, and early intervention, as well as accessible help. We need communities that are screen-smart, not ones that blame or shame but rather those who understand and offer help.

Compulsion is a Red Flag

The game and social media giants are also unable to look away. Their designs are optimized for attention. It’s important to check the validity of this advantage. In and of themselves, screens aren’t bad. But addictive designs? Those are a larger societal problem we’re only just beginning to see—and feel the consequences of.

Orben stated, “The study highlights the importance of how and why young people use technology, as well as how they feel it affects their lives. This may be more important to their mental health that time spent on the internet.” She added that “as the number of people reporting these issues is not small, it’s important to support them.”

The study says that if your teenager is showing signs of spiraling distress while offline or relying on device notifications to worsen mood, then compulsion, and not idle scrolling, should be a red flag. That’s the behaviour we need to catch and act on—fast, humanely, intelligently.

We must not wait for the next tragedy. Listen to what the teens have to say and provide them with solutions which treat their addictions, not just the symptoms.