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ACEs, Problematic Social Media Use, and Emotional/Behavioral Dysregulation Among ABCD® Study Adolescents
Sarah M Rodrigues1, Qiao Wang2, Afsaneh Saghafi1
1Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Issues in Mental Health Nursing
|November 26, 2025
Summary
Adolescents with high adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) show increased problematic social media use (PSMU). Emotional and behavioral dysregulation did not affect this link, highlighting the need for trauma-informed interventions.
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychology
- Mental Health Research
- Digital Media Studies
Background:
- Rising social media use correlates with declining adolescent mental health.
- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are significant risk factors for mental and behavioral issues.
- Understanding the link between ACEs and social media habits is crucial for clinicians.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between ACEs exposure and problematic social media use (PSMU) in adolescents.
- To explore the moderating role of emotional and behavioral dysregulation in this relationship.
- To inform mental health interventions for adolescents impacted by adversity.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.
- Utilized mixed-effects linear modeling on adolescent and parent self-report data (baseline to 3-year follow-up).
- Included a diverse sample of US adolescents aged 10-14 years, adjusting for socio-demographic factors.
Main Results:
- A significant positive association was found between cumulative ACEs score (ages 10-12) and higher PSMU (ages 12-14).
- Adolescents with high ACEs (≥4) reported significantly higher PSMU compared to those with low ACEs (<2).
- Emotional and behavioral dysregulation did not moderate the ACEs-PSMU association.
Conclusions:
- Adversity, specifically ACEs, is linked to increased risk of problematic social media use in adolescents.
- Early screening for ACEs and mental health is vital for at-risk youth.
- Trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate interventions are needed to foster healthy social media engagement.
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