JAKARTA - A study at the University of North Carolina shows that social media has reheated children's brains and created a generation of adults with thin skin.
Young people see areas in the brain that control feelings of appreciation and punishment being too reactive compared to their colleagues who are not always online.
Researchers say the changes suggest that children who are addicted to social media will grow up to be 'hypersistive' to feedback from others.
It comes amid concerns that the pandemic has made more children addicted to social media. A study last month suggested lockdown undermined their ability to stand tall as they spent so much fun time with technology.
"Our findings show that examining behavior on social media early in youth can adapt brain sensitivity to potential social and punitive awards," said Dr Eva Telzer, assistant professor in developmental psychology at the University of North Carolina on Chapel Hill and co-author of the study.
Individuals with behavior check habits show early hypoactivity but increase sensitivity to potential social gestures over time. Those who don't have the habit of checking show early hyperactivation and decreased sensitivity over time," Telzer said as quoted by the Daily Mail.
The researchers studied 178 12-year-old children from three public high schools in North Carolina, USA.
Each participant reported how often they checked popular social media platforms Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram.
They then took part in the task of Postponing Social Incentives where their brain responses were measured when they anticipated receiving social awards and avoiding social penalties.
During teenage years the brain undergoes significant changes, making it a crucial developmental period.
The brain undergoes significant structural and functional reorganization during youth. The areas of nerves involved in the relevance of motivation and affectiveness become hyperactive, orienting teens to beneficial stimuli in their environment, especially from peers," Dr Telzer added.
According to the researchers, 78 percent of children aged 13 to 17 were reported to be checking their devices at least every hour every day. Even 46 percent said they checked it "almost continuously".
Social media platforms provide teens with unprecedented opportunities for social interaction during periods of critical development when the brain is very sensitive to social feedback, said Dr Telzer.
This longitudinal cohort study shows that social media behavior in early teens can be attributed to changes in adolescent nerve development, particularly neural sensitivity to potential social feedback, said Dr Telzer.
Further research that examines the long-term prospective relationship between the use of social media, the development of youth nerves, and psychological adjustments is needed to understand the effects of ubiquitous influences on the current development of adolescents, said Dr Telzer.
The study was published in JAMA Pediatrics and is backed by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Winston Family Foundation.
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