Internet Addiction May Affect Your Teen’s Brain: Study

According to a recent study, teens who spend extensive time on social media may experience impaired attention, affecting important activities like homework and spending time with loved ones. This study, published in the journal PLOS Mental Health, reviewed 12 neuroimaging studies conducted between 2013 and 2022 on adolescents aged 10 to 19. It found that teenagers analyzed with internet addiction showed disrupted signaling between brain regions responsible for attention control, working memory, and other mental functions.

The authors underscored the growing concern over behavioral addiction due to extreme internet use. The study summarized the criteria for internet addiction diagnosis, which include obsession with the internet, withdrawal symptoms when offline, and surrendering relationships for internet use over a protracted period (e.g., 12 months). Max Chang, the study’s first author and outreach case manager at Peninsula Family Service, highlighted that this behavior results in noteworthy impairment or distress in the person’s life.

Internet Addiction Alters Brain Chemistry

Given the developmental differences between adolescent and adult brains, comprehending the effect of internet addiction on teenagers is essential. The study revealed that adolescents with addiction showed substantial disruption in the brain’s executive function network during activities demanding attention, planning, decision-making, and impulse control. These upheavals could impede their ability to perform such tasks effectively, potentially affecting their growth and well-being.

However, Dr. David Ellis, a behavioral scientist at the University of Bath, warned against drawing definitive cause-and-effect findings from these studies. Ellis stated that the concept of internet addiction, originally proposed as a joke by psychiatrist Ivan K. Goldberg in 1995, is not universally accepted. Moreover, it is not included in the DSM-V (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) used by mental health professionals in the United States, although internet gaming disorder is documented.

The study’s limitations include its dependence on cross-sectional data, as noted by Dr. Eva Telzer, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Telzer proposed that underlying brain connectivity differences might make some teenagers more exposed to developing an addiction.

It is pertinent to mention that all the studies reviewed were conducted in Asia, especially involving male participants. China was the first country to proclaim internet addiction a public health crisis. Ellis cautioned that definitions of internet addiction might distract from genuine online harm, proffering that removing technology might not render substantial advantages. The latest study underscores possible disruptions in brain connectivity associated with internet addiction in adolescents but also emphasizes the need for further research to confirm causality.