Checking Social Media Habitually May Affect Adolescent Brain Development: Study

According to a national study authored by Dr. Brain Primack, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions and professor of public health at the University of Arkansas, “Young adults who increased their use of social media were significantly more likely to develop depression within six months.” ShutterStock

Habitual checking of social media could be affecting neural development in adolescents’ brains, leaving them sensitive to the social feedback of the tangible world, according to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study.

Published on Tuesday in JAMA Pediatrics, the study (pdf) explored what the long-term effects could be for adolescents who frequently check their social media