January 4, 2022 – Teens who continuously check their social media accounts develop an increased sensitivity to feedback from their peers, in accordance with a brand new study from the University of North Carolina.
Researchers conducted brain scans of middle school students ages 12 to fifteen. Those who continuously checked their Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat feeds at age 12 were more sensitive to social rewards from their peers. Teens who were less on social media had a declining interest in social rewards, in accordance with the study published in . JAMA Pediatrics.
It is considered one of the primary research projects to look at how social media use might affect the brain over time. The New York Times reported.
The researchers warn against establishing cause-and-effect relationships, as teenagers typically expand their relationship horizons and are influenced by many aspects.
“We cannot causally claim that social media changes the brain,” says Dr. Eva H. Telzer, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and writer of the study.
However, she added: “Teenagers who regularly check their social media are showing quite dramatic changes in the way their brains respond, which could potentially have long-term consequences into adulthood and, in a sense, set the stage for further brain development over time.”
About 170 sixth- and seventh-grade students in North Carolina were divided into three groups based on their social media use – lower than once a day, as much as 14 times a day, and 15 or more times a day.
Three full brain scans were performed a couple of 12 months apart while they played a pc game that offered positive and negative rewards from peers. The scientists measured activation in key brain areas that affect reward processing, meaning, and regulation and control.