Corrections Appended: July 12, 2013 The original version of this article included several quotes or statements that were not clearly attributed to the original sources. Go to any family restaurant and you’ll be surrounded by kids, ranging from toddlers to teens. Some are antsy, others are well behaved, but a good number play on their phones and iPads. Oh, and 1 in 10 has ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. It’s an epidemic. In the U.S., 6 million children have been diagnosed with ADHD, making it the most common childhood behavioral condition. In fact, over the past decade, the number of kids diagnosed with the disorder surged by over 50%. And in the past six years, that rate has jumped about 15% alone, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rise in ADHD has coincided with the rise of mobile devices. According to a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, children on average spend nearly seven and a half hours each day staring at screens. That’s up 20% from just five years ago. Is there a relationship between the two? Perhaps. It’s not so clear-cut. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU6o2_UFSEY?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent%5D This Is Your Kid’s Brain on Gadgets Let’s go back to our family restaurant and shine a spotlight on that 1 in 10 kids with ADHD. And since boys with the condition outnumber girls, let’s call him Josh. Josh is playing Minecraft. His head is down, his attention rapt, his eyes riveted on the screen — he looks like every other child. But as he plays with the tablet, his mind is processing information much differently than the others running around the room. If you could scan Josh’s brain, you’d see it’s working harder, trying to absorb the barrage of information and sensations. That increased brain activity makes it harder for him to focus on one task and control his impulses — hallmark signs of hyperactivity. In fact, his ability to stay focused on the screen, and not anywhere else, is a characteristic of ADHD. When he plays with gadgets, it looks like concentration, … Continue reading A Nation of Kids with Gadgets and ADHD