How Internet Addiction Affects Your Teen’s Brain

NOT IN A GOOD WAY –

June 5, 2024 – A new study has possibly captured that objectively, finding that for teens diagnosed with internet addiction, signaling between brain regions important for controlling attention, working memory and more was disrupted. The behavioural addiction brought on by excessive internet use has become a rising source of concern since the last decade. The criteria for clinical diagnosis of internet addiction in the included studies were “one’s persistent preoccupation with the internet, withdrawal symptoms when away from the internet, and sacrificing relationships (for) time to spend on the internet over an extended period of time (e.g., 12 months),” said Max Chang, first author of the study and outreach case manager at the nonprofit Peninsula Family Service in San Francisco, via email. “The pattern of behaviour results in significant impairment or distress in the individual’s life.”

Given the changing state of adolescent brains compared with adults, the authors felt understanding the impacts of internet addiction on the teenage participants’ brains was vital.