Habitual checking of social media linked to altered brain development in young adolescents

New neuroimaging research provides evidence that the frequency of checking social media during adolescent might influence how the brains of teenagers develop. The findings, published in JAMA Pediatrics, indicate the the use of social media is related to developmental changes in neural sensitivity to anticipation of social rewards and punishments. “We were interested to see how young adolescents’ social media use behaviors may relate to the trajectory of their brain development over time,” said study author Kara A. Fox, a PhD student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “The cons...