- Internet addiction affects areas of the brain involved in memory, emotions and more
- READ MORE: Scientists develop a new internet addiction spectrum
Internet addiction rewires teens’ brains and may make them more likely to engage in other addictive behaviors, new research suggests.
Signaling between different parts of the brain related to controlling attention and understanding our own emotions was altered in young people addicted to being online, scientists say.
Their findings, published in the journal PLOS mental healthindicate that Internet addiction is associated with disrupted signaling in brain regions involved in multiple neural networks.
Study co-author Max Chang said: ‘These networks play an important role in controlling our attention, in conjunction with intellectual abilities, working memory, physical coordination and emotional processing.
‘All this in turn has an impact on mental health.’
Internet addiction rewires teens’ brains and may make them more likely to engage in other addictive behaviors, new research suggests (file photo)
Mr Chang, senior researcher at University College London (UCL), added: ‘Internet use has soared, with adolescents spending more and more hours online.
‘As a result, internet addiction among adolescents has increased.
‘Given that adolescent brains are more capable of changing than adults, understanding the effects of internet addiction on the brain and behavior is critical for society as a whole.’
Mr Chang and UCL colleague Irene Lee reviewed neuroimaging studies on the effects of internet addiction on the brains of young people.
The literature review focused on 12 neuroimaging studies of Internet-addicted adolescents that examined changes in connectivity between brain networks that work together to control important behavior and development.
The neuroimaging studies that met the team’s criteria for age range and formal diagnosis of Internet addiction were all conducted in Asia, despite many cases of Internet addiction in the West.
The literature review focused on 12 neuroimaging studies in Internet-addicted adolescents that examined changes in connectivity between brain networks
In all the studies reviewed, when internet-addicted teens engaged in activities governed by the brain’s executive control network – such as behaviors that require attention, planning, decision-making and especially impulsivity – those brain regions showed a “significant” disruption in their ability to work together.
Mr Chang said: ‘When switching on the default mode network, results varied more, but functional connectivity was often reported to be disrupted during tasks requiring self-introspection and attention.
‘Such signal changes can make these behaviors more difficult to perform, potentially impacting development and well-being.
“Current responses only paint an unfinished picture that does not necessarily portray Internet use as overwhelmingly positive or negative.”
He says further research including people from a wider population is needed to confirm how internet addiction changes the way the brain controls behavior and therefore our overall well-being.
Mr Chang added: ‘Understanding how and where Internet addiction affects functional connectivity in adolescent brains, as well as replicating MRI studies with multiple populations, can guide future global therapeutic and public health interventions.’
But Professor David Ellis, a behavioral scientist at the University of Bath’s Institute for Digital Security and Behavior, who was not involved in the research, urged caution about the results.
He cautioned that ‘measuring internet addiction’ is not universally accepted and certainly cannot be diagnosed using the research instruments used in the studies included as part of the review.
He added that “any association between functional connectivity and internet addiction” is at the mercy of multiple co-founders.
“This makes drawing strong conclusions from the papers reviewed virtually impossible,” Professor Ellis said.