A study has found that excessive internet usage among adolescents affects regions of their brains which are responsible for controlling attention, intellectual ability, working memory, and physical coordination. This hampers overall development and well-being read more
From Instagram and Netflix to online classes and virtual gaming, teenagers today have countless reasons to stay glued to their smartphones. However, a recent study offers compelling reasons to reconsider this constant connectivity.
A study published in the journal PLOS Mental Health reveals that excessive internet use is actually reshaping adolescent brains, increasing their vulnerability to addictive behaviours.
How is this happening? Let’s dive deeper into the findings.
Being addicted to the internet
The study revealed that teenagers addicted to the internet experience “significant” disruptions in regions of the brain involved in active thinking.
Researchers Max Chang and Irene Lee of University College London analysed 12 neuroimaging studies conducted between 2013 and 2022 which involved 237 adolescents aged 10 to 19 who were medically diagnosed with internet addiction. It is defined as an inability to resist the urge to use the internet to the extent it negatively impacts their well-being, as well as their social, academic, and professional lives.
They discovered notable differences.
When participants with internet addiction engaged in activities governed by the brain’s executive function network—such as behaviours requiring attention, planning, decision-making, and impulse control—those brain regions showed substantial disruption in their ability to work together, compared to their peers without internet addiction.
Dr Praveen Gupta, principal director of neurology at Fortis Gurugram, explained the science behind how internet addiction affects neural networks to The Times of India (TOI). “Internet addiction leads to alterations in the functional and effective connectivity between neurons. It causes overactivity in some synaptic connections and underactivity in others, particularly in the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate gyrus. This disruption affects networks involved in attention, memory, and behaviour.”
The study also suggests that these signaling changes could make these behaviours more difficult to perform, potentially affecting development and overall well-being.
“Similar to substance and gambling disorders, internet addiction rewires the brain, making it harder to resist internet related stimuli,” Chang said in a CNN report. “However, unlike gambling or substance usage, the internet is an important part of our lives. Balancing the usefulness and dangers of the internet is a field that is very crucial going forward in adolescent development,” he added.
The study also suggests that these signalling changes could make these behaviours more difficult to perform, potentially affecting development and overall well-being.
“Similar to substance and gambling disorders, internet addiction rewires the brain, making it harder to resist internet-related stimuli,” Chang was quoted as saying by CNN. “However, unlike gambling or substance usage, the internet is an important part of our lives. Balancing the usefulness and dangers of the internet is a field that is very crucial going forward in adolescent development.”
The impact on the brain
Clinical psychologist Dr Dinika Anand from BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital told TOI, “If a person is addicted to online content, certain pathways in their brain will get all the energy and will always be in use, and of course, this use will cause decay of certain other pathways.”
That continuous stimulation of these specific pathways, at the expense of others, results in an imbalance in the brain’s functioning. Consequently, the neglected pathways gradually weaken and lose efficiency, potentially impacting various aspects of cognitive abilities and overall well-being, she added.
The findings of the study underscore the need for increased awareness about the potential risks of internet addiction among teenagers. As the digital age continues to evolve, it is essential for parents, educators, and healthcare professionals to monitor and address the issue of excessive internet use in young people.
With input from agencies
