Whether using social media platforms or other online programs, people who overdo their tech time may experience impaired attention span.

Research indicates that adolescents who spend too much time on their smartphones are at greater risk for developing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported on approximately 2,600 high school students who did not have symptoms of ADHD at the study’s onset.

The investigators recorded the frequency at which the students accessed a variety of online apps, including Facebook and Twitter. They also measured the volunteers’ texting habits, use of search engines, and streaming of videos.

At six-month intervals for the next two years, the volunteers completed questionnaires that recorded any emergence of ADHD symptoms.

The researchers found that the more the students used technology, the greater the likelihood that they developed symptoms of ADHD.

In fact, for each digital activity the students engaged in, there was a 10 percent greater risk of developing ADHD symptoms.

Some experts argue that people with ADHD are more likely to overuse technology. But in this study, the symptoms of ADHD emerged during the two-year follow-up, which points to the likelihood that the use of the technology actually triggered attention-deficit symptoms.