Maartje Boer

CHAPTER 5 130 whether the two types of SMU relate to ADHD-symptoms. Second, given the cross-sectional nature of previous research, the directions of the relations between social media behaviors and ADHD-symptoms remain unknown. Using data from a longitudinal study, the present study addresses these gaps in our knowledge. Recently, scholars have cautioned against over-pathologizing normative behaviors, questioning whether problematic internet-related behaviors, as defined by substance addiction criteria, cause significant harm (Kardefelt- Winther et al., 2017; Van Rooij et al., 2018). Yet, recent longitudinal research suggests that SMU problems impair life satisfaction over time, while SMU intensity does not (Van den Eijnden et al., 2018). The current study extends this research by exploring whether SMU intensity and SMU problems independently, or in concert, increase ADHD-symptoms. The Influence of ADHD-symptoms on SMU Intensity and SMU Problems ADHD is characterized by three behavioral components: attention deficits, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Adolescents with attention deficits often experience difficulties in completing tasks that require a long attention span, because they easily become distracted. Adolescents with hyperactive behavior typically show physical restlessness. Impulsive adolescents tend to have a strong preference for immediate rewards over delayed rewards, and often act without deliberate forethought (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Social media afford several features that may be particularly attractive to adolescents with ADHD-symptoms. First, they can be used through smartphones at any time and at any place, and social media applications on smartphones actively notify users of incoming messages and updated content (Pielot et al., 2014). Social media may therefore be tempting external distractors in daily life to which adolescents with ADHD-symptoms are more sensitive than adolescents without symptoms (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Second, social media allow adolescents to navigate through profiles quickly and to engage in multiple conversations at the same time, facilitating quick rewards to immediate informational and social needs. We therefore expected that high levels of ADHD-symptoms increase SMU intensity over time (H1). Furthermore, ADHD-symptoms constitute a risk