Teens who grew up checking social media more often are becoming hypersensitive to peer feedback, but the consequences aren’t clear, says researcher
The effect of using social networks in children is an area of research fraught with challenges, as fathers, mothers and legislators have tried to observe the results of a large experiment already in full swing. Subsequent studies add pieces to the puzzle, detailing the implications of an almost constant stream of virtual interactions that begin in childhood.
A new study by neuroscientists at the University of North Carolina tries something new by performing successive brain scans of high school children and adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15, a particularly rapid period of brain development.
The researchers found that children who routinely checked their social media feeds by age 12 exhibited a particular trajectory, with their sensitivity to peer social rewards increasing over time. Teens with less social media engagement followed the opposite path, with declining interest in social rewards.
The study, published in JAMA Pediatricsis among the first attempts to capture changes in brain function related to social media use over the years.
The study has important limitations, the authors acknowledge. How adolescence is a time of expanding social relationships, brain differences may reflect a natural shift towards peers, which may lead to more frequent use of social networks.
“We can’t make a causal claim that social media is changing the brain,” said Eva H. Telzer, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and one of the study’s authors.
But, she added, ‘teenagers who routinely check their social media are showing these rather dramatic changes in how their brains react, which could have long-term consequences in adulthood, setting the stage for brain development. long-term”.
A team of researchers studied an ethnically diverse group of 169 sixth- and seventh-grade students at a high school in rural North Carolina, dividing them into groups based on how often they reported checking their feeds. Facebook, Instagram And snapchat.
By age 12, the students were already displaying distinct patterns of behavior. Regular users have reported checking their feeds 15 or more times a day; moderate users checked one to 14 times; non-habitual users checked less than once a day.
The subjects received full brain scans three times, at intervals of about a year, while playing a computer game that offered rewards and punishments in the form of smiling or frowning classmates.
While performing the task, frequent users showed increased activation of three areas of the brain: reward processing circuits, which also respond to experiences such as earning money or risky behavior; brain regions that determine salience, capturing what stands out in the environment; and the prefrontal cortex, which helps with regulation and control.
Is it good or bad?
The findings showed that “teenagers who grow up checking social media more often are becoming hypersensitive to feedback from their peers,” said Eva Telzer.
The results don’t capture the extent of the brain changes, just their trajectory. And it’s not clear, the authors said, whether the changes are beneficial or harmful. Social sensitivity can be adaptive, showing adolescents are learning to connect with others, or it can lead to anxiety social and depression if social needs are not met.
Social media researchers have warned against drawing sweeping conclusions based on the findings.
“Studies are showing that how you use social media at any given time in your life affects how your brain develops, but we don’t know how much or whether that’s positive or negative,” said Jeff Hancock, director founder of Stanford Social Media. Lab, which was not involved in the study. He said many other variables could have contributed to these changes.
“What if these people joined a team — a hockey team or a volleyball team, for example — and started having a lot more social interactions?” he said. It could be, she added, that researchers are “identifying the development of extraversion and that extroverts are more likely to check their social media.”
He described the article as “a very sophisticated piece of work,” which adds to recent research showing that sensitivity to social media varies from person to person.
“Some people have a neurological condition which means they are more likely to be drawn to the net frequently,” she said. “We are not all the same and we must stop thinking that social networks are the same for everyone”.
Over the past decade, social media has transformed the core experiences of adolescence, a period of rapid brain development.
Nearly all American teens communicate through social media, with 97 percent going online every day and 46 percent reporting they are online “almost constantly,” according to the Pew Research Center. Black and Latino teens spend more hours on social media than whites, research has shown.
Mental health
Researchers have documented a number of effects on children’s mental health. Some studies have linked social media use with depression and anxiety, while others have found little connection. A 2018 study of lesbian, gay, and bisexual teens found that social media provided validation and support, but also exposed them to hate speech.
Experts analyzing the study said that because the researchers only measured students’ social media use once, around age 12, it was impossible to know how it changed over time or rule out other factors that might also influence the development of social media in the brain.
Without additional insight into other aspects of student life, “it’s difficult to discern how specific differences in brain development relate to social media use,” said Adriana Galvan, an expert on adolescent brain development at the UCLA, which was not involved in the study.
Jennifer Pfeifer, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon and co-director of the National Adolescent Science Council, said: “Every experience accumulates and is reflected in the brain.”
“I think we have to put it in that context,” he said. “Many other experiences teenagers have will also change their brains. So let’s not panic morally about the idea that social media use is changing teen brains.”
Eva Telzer, one of the study’s authors, described the increased sensitivity to social feedback as “neither good nor bad.”
“Networks are helping teens connect with others and get rewards from the things that are common in their social world, which is engaging in social interactions online,” she said.
“This is the new normal,” he added. “Understanding how this new digital world is affecting teenagers is important. It could have to do with changes in the brain, for the better or for the worse. We don’t necessarily know the long-term implications yet.” / TRANSLATION BY RENATO PRELORENTZOU
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Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
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