In a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, scientists found frequent social media checks may affect young brains.
They examined whether frequent checking of social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat) is linked to changes in functional brain development in these early adolescents, about age 12.
In the study, the team used brain scans called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
They recruited 169 sixth- and seventh-graders from three public middle schools in rural North Carolina. Participants were racially diverse and included both boys and girls.
The participants reported how often they checked the three social media platforms, varying from less than once a day to more than 20 times.
Then participants underwent fMRI brain scans. During these scans, they would see a cue that social feedback would be a reward, a punishment, or neutral.
They then had to quickly push a button when a target appeared. The teens would then get a social reward or punishment.
The researchers found that habitually refreshing and checking social media may be linked to changes in brain sensitivity to social rewards and punishments—those online likes and engagement from others.
They found that teens who grow up constantly checking their social media are becoming hypersensitive to peer feedback.
Other research has found that some adolescents are on their cellphones almost constantly, checking their social media at least hourly.
What isn’t clear is what this means for their future. It could potentially lead the brain to become more and more sensitive to social feedback and this could continue into adulthood.
But researchers haven’t tried to see if they can change this trajectory.
While the brain changes might promote compulsive or addictive social media behaviors, they may also reflect an adaptation that helps teens navigate their increasingly digital world.
The team says parents can help their teens by fostering activities that bring joy without going online—for instance, sports, art, or volunteering.
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The study was conducted by Eva Telzer et al and published in JAMA Pediatrics.
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