One study suggests that habitually checking social media may affect brain development in adolescence

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reported in the first long-term studies on teens' neurodevelopment and technology use that teens' habitual viewing of social media is linked to
subsequent changes in their brains' responses to the world around them.

The study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics of the American Medical Association, suggests that as social media use increases, teens' brains may become more sensitive
when predicting social rewards and punishments.

Corresponding author Eva Terzer, a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said: "The findings suggest that children who check social media more often as they grow up become highly sensitive
to peer feedback.
"

The researchers followed 169 students recruited from rural North Carolina public middle schools for three years
.
At the start of the study, participants reported how often
they viewed three popular social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
Their responses ranged
from less than once a day to more than 20.
Participants underwent annual brain imaging while completing the social motivation delay task, which measures brain activity
while predicting social feedback from peers.

Maria Maza, a PhD student in psychology and one of the study's two lead authors, said: "While increased sensitivity to social feedback may promote compulsive use of social media in the future, it may also reflect a possible adaptive behaviour that will enable teens to navigate
an increasingly digital world.
"

Social media platforms provide a continuous, unpredictable stream
of social feedback in the form of likes, comments, notifications, and messages.

Kara Fox, a PhD student in psychology and co-lead author of the study, said: "These social inputs are frequent, inconsistent, and often beneficial, making them particularly powerful reinforcement conditions that can force users to check social media
repeatedly.
"

Other studies have shown that 78% of teens ages 13 to 17 check their mobile devices at least once an hour; 35% of teens use at least one
of the top five social media platforms almost regularly.
The findings suggest that in 12- to 13-year-olds, repeatedly checking social media may be associated with
changes in their brain development over a three-year period.
Teens who checked social media frequently (more than 15 times a day) had brains that were more sensitive
to social feedback.

"When most teens start using technology and social media, it's one of the most important periods of brain development in our lives," said co-author Mitch Prinstein, chief scientific officer
of the American Psychological Association.
"Our research suggests that examining behavior on social media may have long-term and important effects on teens' neurodevelopment, which is critical
for parents and policymakers to consider when understanding the benefits and potential harms of teen use of tech products.
"