ICYMI: How Internet Addiction May Change Adolescent Brains

New research examines changes in brain activity among young people who have been diagnosed with internet addiction.

iStock.com/Kar-Tr

Internet addiction among pre-teens and teens may alter the developing adolescent brain by changing how neural networks communicate with each other, according to new research published last month in PLOS Mental Health. 

Researchers at University College London reviewed the results from a dozen fMRI studies examining brain activity among children and teens between ages 10 and 19 who were diagnosed with internet addiction. People with internet addiction experience an uncontrollable impulse to go online, which takes a toll on their social lives, mental health, and physical health. The researchers examined the association between internet addiction and changes in how connections function between various networks in the brain, including those involved with cognition, memory, reward, and decision-making. They concluded that functional changes can occur across these brain networks, affecting adolescent behavior and development. Researchers noted more information is needed to fully understand the neural causes and effects of internet addiction.

Adolescence is a critical period of development for the brain. During those years, kids are heavily shaped by their experiences and their environment. This time is optimized for learning, but it can also prompt young people to engage in more risky or impulsive behavior, like spending excessive time online. Educating parents on internet addiction could prepare them to more effectively intervene if their kids begin to show signs of the condition.  

Big Picture: Adults and adolescents in the United States are spending more time online. Around half of teens say they use the internet “almost constantly,” according to a 2023 report from Pew Research Center. That’s about double the percentage of kids who said the same in a Pew survey that took place between 2014 and 2015. Although clinicians in the United States don’t formally diagnose people with internet addiction, the condition is recognized by countries like China and South Korea. Experts in the U.S., however, have sounded the alarm on the potential consequences of social media use among teens.

Read More: How internet addiction may affect your teen’s brain, according to a new study. CNN

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About the Author

Bella Isaacs-Thomas

Bella is the Staff Writer and Editor for BrainFacts. She previously worked as a digital science reporter at PBS NewsHour, where she was named a fellow in the 2022-2023 class of the National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships (SHERF) and earned a 2021 D.C. Science Writers Association Newsbrief Award for writing. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in 2018.