The brains of children and young people who use social media intensively develop differently than those of their peers who use it more sparingly. This was the result of a long-term study by researchers at the University of Northern Carolina with 169 subjects who attended middle schools in this US state. At the beginning of the study, participants were asked how often they use the popular platforms Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Their responses ranged from less than once to more than 20 times per day.

Compulsive use is increasing

Over the course of three years, researchers used an MRI to record brain activity during specific activities on each platform in which participants expected social feedback from peers.

“The results suggest that children who use social media more often react hypersensitively to feedback from their peers,” says research leader Eva Telzer. Colleague Maria Maza also fears that this increased sensitivity to social feedback could encourage future compulsive use of social media.

“Most adolescents begin using social media at one of the most important stages of brain development,” says co-author Mitch Prinstein, who also serves American Psychological Association “Our research shows that scrutiny of behavior on the social web could have long-term and important consequences for adolescents' neural development, which is critical for parents and policymakers as they consider the benefits and potential harms associated with media use are, weigh up.”

The majority of children are at risk

Previous research shows that 78 percent of 13 to 17 year olds engage with their platforms at least hourly. 35 percent use at least one of the five most important social media platforms almost constantly.

“The study results suggest that repeatedly checking social media in 12- to 13-year-olds over a period of three years can impair the development of their brains,” concludes Telzer.

Source:

Press release

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