{"id":47146,"date":"2024-08-03T15:22:54","date_gmt":"2024-08-03T15:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gsgf.greenschoolsgreenfuture.org\/?p=47146"},"modified":"2025-01-18T17:47:54","modified_gmt":"2025-01-18T17:47:54","slug":"teen-internet-addiction-excessive-internet-use-disrupts-key-parts-of-the-teenage-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gsgf.greenschoolsgreenfuture.org\/fr\/teen-internet-addiction-excessive-internet-use-disrupts-key-parts-of-the-teenage-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"Teen Internet Addiction: Excessive Internet Use Disrupts Key Parts of the Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"

[<\/strong>Photo: Paula Dani\u00eblse\/Getty Images<\/strong>]<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Internet addiction alters teenage brains in ways that encourage other addictive behaviors.<\/p>\n

The internet drives news cycles and touches practically every aspect of our lives\u2014from communicating with friends and family to finding a job. The current crop of teens is unique from any previous generation in that they are immersed in a virtual world that can present very differently from reality. Many teens have become addicted to it.<\/p>\n

A\u00a02023 Statista survey<\/a>\u00a0found that U.S. teenagers spent an average of 4.8 hours on social media platforms every day, with girls spending an average of 5.3 hours compared to 4.4 hours for boys.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing as excessive and addictive screen use is routinely listed as one of parents\u2019 biggest concerns for children, I think it\u2019s overdue that we start educating children as early as possible about the dangers of unhealthy and mindless screen use,\u201d Anthony Anzalone, a clinical psychologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n

Teen Brain Development Affected<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scientists have begun investigating the consequences of living one\u2019s life online, and what they\u2019ve discovered is discouraging.<\/p>\n

A systematic review from the University College London, published in June in\u00a0PLOS Mental Health<\/a>, looked at 12 studies involving 237 youths aged 10 to 19 who had a formal diagnosis of internet addiction between 2013 and 2023. All the studies were conducted in Asian countries.<\/p>\n

Researchers defined internet addiction as an inability to resist the urge to use the internet, which negatively affects mental well-being, as well as aspects of social, educational, and work life.<\/p>\n

All studies reviewed used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine how areas of the brain interact with each other (functional connectivity) in participants living with internet addiction while at rest and while completing a task. The effects were seen throughout multiple regions of the adolescent brain.<\/p>\n

The studies showed a mixture of increased and decreased activity in parts of the brain that are activated during rest, along with an overall decrease in functional connectivity in parts of the brain used in active thinking.<\/p>\n

The findings indicate these changes lead to addictive behaviors and tendencies in adolescents and behavioral changes associated with intellectual ability, physical coordination, and mental health and development.<\/p>\n

Functional Changes in the Brain<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another study, published in 2023 in\u00a0JAMA Pediatrics<\/a>, investigated a group of 169 sixth- and seventh-grade students from a middle school in rural North Carolina. Researchers split the students into smaller groups according to how often they reported checking their Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat feeds.<\/p>\n

The habitual user group members checked their feeds 15 or more times daily, moderate users between one and 14 times, and nonhabitual users less than once daily.<\/p>\n

The children received three brain scans at roughly one-year intervals while they played a computer game that offered rewards and punishment in the form of smiling or scowling faces.<\/p>\n

While playing the game, frequent checkers demonstrated changes in brain regions linked to reward processing, which typically responds to experiences like winning money or risk-taking. They also had difficulty controlling impulsive or habitual behaviors.<\/p>\n

The findings indicate that teens who grow up checking social media more often become hypersensitive to feedback from other kids. They also experience fewer or less intense positive feelings from previously rewarding stimuli, which could drive them to pursue more potent feelings through increased reward-seeking behavior.<\/p>\n

However, the effects of habitual checking may depend on the individual, according to the authors.<\/p>\n

In some children, checking could become \u201ccompulsive and problematic\u201d while others engage in \u201can adaptive behavior that allows them to better navigate their increasingly digital environment,\u201d the authors suggested.<\/p>\n

Signs of Disruption<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anzalone said that much like with other addictions, people addicted to the internet tend to exhibit a pattern of behaviors that impede daily functioning, such as excessive preoccupation with screen use and withdrawal symptoms when screen use is not possible.<\/p>\n

Other notable features of internet addiction include the following:<\/p>\n