Ruoyuan Huang

Ruoyuan Huang

Oct. 30, 2026

Teenagers, Digital media multitasking, Cognitive control, Interaction mechanism.

This study explores the interaction mechanism between Digital Media Multitasking (DMM) and Cognitive Control (CC) in adolescents. Cross-sectional design was used to recruit 130 middle school students aged 12-18. The frequency, inhibition control, attention flexibility, working memory capacity and executive function of DMM were measured by self-rating scale and behavior experiment. The results show that the frequency of DMM is negatively correlated with the ability of inhibition and control (β=0.29), and the working memory capacity plays a partial mediating role (indirect effect 95% CI= [0.006, 0.082]), while the mediating effect of attention flexibility is not significant. Age plays a moderating role in the path of DMM’s inhibition and control through working memory. Young adolescents (M-1SD) are more negatively affected by DMM (β=-0.32), and the effect of the elderly is weakened (β=-0.09). Gender did not show significant regulatory effect. This study reveals the negative influence mechanism of DMM on adolescent CC, emphasizes the importance of early intervention, and provides empirical evidence for scientific guidance of digital media use.

© 2026, the Authors. Published by ISCCAC

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license