Study: Checking social media shows possible connection with brain chemistry changes
A recent study has identified a possible connection between social media use and changes in brain chemistry in adolescents. Results of the study suggest that frequently checking social media may cause hypersensitivity in adolescents in social situations, especially when receiving feedback or criticism.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina used MRI brain scans to determine that teenagers who habitually checked social media showed increased activity in the regions of the brain that play a role in regulating in impulse control and decision-making around social situations.
The study, published on Jan. 3 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, used 169 sixth and seventh grade students who self-reported the frequency at which they checked Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Researchers performed functional MRIs annually over a three-year period to measure participants’ neural responses when anticipating receiving social feedback.
The results showed that participants who habitually checked social media showed heightened activation in regions of the brain comprising motivational and cognitive control networks in response to anticipating social rewards or punishments.
The study does have certain limitations. MRIs cannot determine whether the changes occurring in the brain are permanent or temporary. And relying on self-reported accounts of social media use can be unreliable. Additionally, the study did not account for all social media platforms, just Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram.
There are other known negative impacts of social media on the mental health of adolescents. Research has found that adolescents who engage in fewer in-person interactions with peers and more on social media reported higher rates of loneliness and addiction.
Users also may feel less integrated behind the screen, which may make cyberbullying more likely. Negative impacts on self-esteem and body image are also commonly observed and vary depending on the type of use and the age of the user, according to Jacqueline Sperling, Ph.D, co-program director of the McLean Anxiety Master Program at McLean Hospital and author of “Find Your Fierce: How to Put Social Anxiety in Its Place.”
For adolescents, much of the harm of social media is an issue of comparison. When perusing other people’s social media profiles and activity people tend to make comparisons like, “why did this person get more likes than me?” It can be easy for teenagers to replace meaningful real-world connections with the validation they can find on social media.
“Social media also includes an opportunity to observe our experiences of social exclusion,” said Sperling. “Before social media platforms existed, you didn’t know if you were excluded from a social event unless you heard about it directly. If you’re a teen and your peers are becoming especially important to you, that can be particularly tricky and hurtful.”
Part of the challenge for teens is that social media is designed to be addictive. Its reinforcing nature activates the reward center of the brain. Teens often use social media to boost their self-esteem and create a sense of belonging. Combine that with a potential future reward structure and the result is the type of addictive behavior that often leads to depression and anxiety.
Melissa Santos, Ph.D, a pediatric psychologist, believes it is important for parents to talk to their teens about social media use. “It’s important to start having conversations with your children early,” she said. “Don’t wait until you’re concerned. Make it part of regular conversations or routines. Be curious – ask them what they like about social media; and are there things you can build for them in `real life’ to help support that.”
Both Santos and Sperling believe that it is important for parents to be on the lookout for certain changes in their teens. “Shifts in behavior such as social withdrawal drops and grades, changes in ability to focus, increases in irritability, sadness or anxiety are signs that youth may benefit from additional support,” said Sperling.