Social Media Use and the Brain

Question: What kind of research is there on how social media interacts with the brain?

Answer: Thank you for your thoughtful question! In response, we’ve focused on the relationship between social media and adolescent brain development. If you have questions about how social media and screen time affect mental health, consider this portal response. 

What do we know? 

There is not a lot of research on how social media affects adolescent brain development, but the existing research shows the relationship between social media and brain development is complex and varies between individuals. 

Some research suggests that teens who use visual media, like watching TV, playing video games, or visiting social media sites, show some changes to the brain, including areas of the brain responsible for memory, emotional regulation, vision, and decision-making. It is important to note that changes to brain structure and these potential associated behavioral or cognitive changes are not all negative.  

Here are several examples of the impacts of social media on the developing brain from existing research studies:  

• Participants who primarily engaged in gaming activities had more thinning in the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for planning, emotional regulation, and other complex cognitive functions) and more volume in the orbitofrontal area of the brain (the part of the brain involved in emotion and reward-processing). Those participants also performed better in abilities such as problem-solving and thinking quickly. By contrast, participants who primarily engaged with social media had reduced thickness in the hippocampus (the part of the brain involved in memory, learning, and emotional processing), and these participants performed worse in problem-solving abilities.  
• Another study suggests that social media use may increase sensitivity to social rewards and punishment, such as receiving feedback from peers. However, it isn’t clear if this increased sensitivity is caused by teens using social media more often or if teens who are already more sensitive to social rewards and punishment are more likely to use social media often in the first place. 
• A review study reported that frequent and longer use of screen media has been associated with reduced connectivity across parts of the brain that are involved in attention and processing. Abnormalities such as these are generally associated with attention problems or impulsivity.  
• In a final study, results showed that at first, social media use appears to have positive effects on the parts of the brain involved in social and decision-making processes, but that benefit decreases over time for teens who are heavy users of social media.  

Overall, the effects of social media use on the brain are likely dependent on many things. Every teen’s brain is unique and may process social media use and information differently. 

Even though it isn’t clear exactly how social media can affect teens’ brains and the consequences of these changes, working together with your teen to effectively discuss social media use and balance their online lives with their offline ones can help adolescents make safe and healthy choices about their media consumption. Consider some of the tips below. 

Here are some tips and resources you can use to support your teen: 

• Review The 5 Cs of Media Use, a tool developed by pediatricians who specialize in social media research, which can help you and your adolescent discuss social media use in constructive ways that center their experience and stage in life. 
• Encourage your teen to review this brief educational resource from Common Sense Media. Even better – review the content together! Then talk with them about how they experience social media and the ways it can have them feeling “hooked”. Discuss what they learn and what changes they might make to their social media habits. 
• Consider establishing a Family Media Plan that can provide ideas for rules, guidelines, and shared media experiences across your family. Think about how you can model balanced social media use and screen time as a parent. 

References:  

• Achterberg, M., Becht, A., van der Cruijsen, R., van de Groep, I. H., Spaans, J. P., Klapwijk, E., & Crone, E. A. (2022). Longitudinal associations between social media use, mental well-being and structural brain development across adolescence. Developmental cognitive neuroscience, 54, 101088.  
• Marciano, L., Camerini, A. L., & Morese, R. (2021). The developing brain in the digital era: A scoping review of structural and functional correlates of screen time in adolescence. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 671817.   
• Maza, M. T., Fox, K. A., Kwon, S. J., Flannery, J. E., Lindquist, K. A., Prinstein, M. J., & Telzer, E. H. (2023). Association of habitual checking behaviors on social media with longitudinal functional brain development. JAMA pediatrics, 177(2), 160-167.  
• Nivins, S., Sauce, B., Liebherr, M., Judd, N., & Klingberg, T. (2024). Long-term impact of digital media on brain development in children. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 13030. 
• Paulus, M. P., Squeglia, L. M., Bagot, K., Jacobus, J., Kuplicki, R., Breslin, F. J., ... & Tapert, S. F. (2019). Screen media activity and brain structure in youth: Evidence for diverse structural correlation networks from the ABCD study. Neuroimage, 185, 140-153. 

Age: 10-17 

Topics: social media, brain, brain structure 

Role: Parent/Caregiver