Mental health problems and exposure to potentially traumatic events independently contributed to problematic media use in early adolescence, which in turn exacerbated mental health problems, though PTE exposure did not moderate the relationship between mental health problems and problematic media use.
Mental health problems at 1-year follow-up and PTE exposure both independently contributed to problematic media use at 2-year follow-up.
Mental health problems at 1YFU, PMU at 2YFU, and PSMU at 2YFU were all significant predictors of mental health problems at 3YFU.
The longitudinal relationship between mental health problems at 1YFU and mental health problems at 3YFU was partially mediated by PMU and PSMU at 2YFU.
PTE exposure did not moderate the relationship between mental health problems and PMU or PSMU.
The study sample consisted of 6,026 early adolescents from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, all of whom had at least one social media account.
Both internalising and externalising mental health problems were examined as outcomes in the longitudinal mediation framework.
This research suggests that in young adolescents (average age around 9.5 years), having mental health problems and experiencing potentially traumatic events (such as accidents, abuse, or witnessing violence) each independently increase the likelihood of developing problematic media use — meaning excessive or compulsive use of screens and social media that interferes with daily life. Importantly, problematic media use was not just a symptom but also appeared to make mental health worse over time: youth who used media problematically at age 11 had more mental health difficulties a year later. The study tracked over 6,000 children across three years using data from a large U.S. brain development study. One of the study's key findings is that problematic social media use and general problematic media use both partially explained why mental health problems at one point in time predicted mental health problems two years later — in other words, media use was a pathway through which difficulties persisted and grew. However, the researchers also found that exposure to potentially traumatic events did not change or amplify how strongly mental health problems led to problematic media use; trauma and mental health problems acted independently rather than interacting with each other in their effects on media use. This research suggests that monitoring screen and social media habits in children and early adolescents — especially those with existing mental health difficulties or trauma histories — may be important. Clinicians and caregivers working with vulnerable youth might consider addressing media use patterns as part of broader mental health support, since problematic media use appears to be both a consequence of poor mental health and a factor that can worsen it over time.
Tutus D, Fegert J, Haag A. (2026). Does exposure to potentially traumatic events moderate the longitudinal relationship between mental health and problematic media use? Moderated multiple mediation analyses within the ABCD study.. European journal of psychotraumatology. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2026.2714608