January 4, 2022 -- Teens who frequently check their social media accounts are more sensitive to feedback from their peers, according to new research from the University of North Carolina.
The researchers conducted brain scans of middle school students from the age of 12 to he was 15. At the age of 12, he was more responsive to his social rewards from peers who frequently checked his Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat feeds. A study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that her teens, who used less social media, were less interested in social rewards. This is one of the first research projects to look at how social media use affects the brain over time, reports The New York Times.
Researchers cautioned against creating causality because teens typically escalate relationships and are influenced by many factors.
''You can't claim causality that social media changes the brain,'' said Eva H. Telzer, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of the study. I'm here.
However, ''her teens, who regularly check social media, showed very dramatic changes in brain responses, with long-term effects well into adulthood and improved brain development.'' It may set the stage: speaking is something the brain creates over time.”
About 170 students in her sixth grade and her seventh grade in North Carolina were divided into her three groups based on social media use. They underwent three complete brain scans, approximately one year apart, while playing computer games that offered positive and negative companion rewards. , measured key brain activations that affect regulation and control.