Teens who spend a lot of time on social media often complain that it hampers their ability to focus on important tasks like homework or spending time with family. A recent study offers an objective look at this issue, finding that teens diagnosed with internet addiction experience disruptions in brain signalling between regions responsible for attention control, working memory, and more.
The study, published in the journal PLOS Mental Health, reviewed 12 neuroimaging studies involving several hundred adolescents aged 10 to 19, conducted between 2013 and 2022. The authors noted that behavioural addiction from excessive internet use has become a growing concern over the last decade.
Defining Internet Addiction in Teenagers
Clinical diagnosis criteria for internet addiction in teenagers in these studies included a persistent preoccupation with the internet, withdrawal symptoms when offline, and sacrificing relationships to spend more time online over an extended period, according to Max Chang, the study’s first author and outreach case manager at Peninsula Family Service in San Francisco. This behaviour pattern leads to significant impairment or distress in an individual’s life.
Given the developmental differences between adolescent and adult brains, the authors emphasized the importance of understanding the impact of internet addiction on teenage brains. When teens diagnosed with internet addiction engaged in activities involving the brain’s executive function network—requiring attention, planning, decision-making, and impulse control—these brain regions showed substantial disruption compared to peers without internet addiction. The authors suggest this disruption could make such behaviours more challenging to perform, affecting development and well-being.
Potential Limitations The Study Regarding Internet Addiction and Teenage Brain Development
However, Dr. David Ellis, a behavioural scientist at the University of Bath’s Institute for Digital Security and Behaviour, pointed out fundamental limitations in interpreting these findings. Ellis, who was not involved in the study, noted that causality cannot be established from these studies and criticized the focus on functional connectivity at the expense of scrutinizing the concept of internet addiction itself, which was originally proposed as a joke by psychiatrist Ivan K. Goldberg in 1995. He also mentioned that the concept and measurement of internet addiction are neither universally accepted nor diagnosable using the survey instruments used in the reviewed studies.
Despite the possible negative consequences of frequent SNS use for some, internet addiction is not officially recognized as a psychological disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in Canada. All reviewed studies were conducted in Asia and mostly involved male participants, with China being the first country to declare internet addiction a public health crisis.
Dr. Eva Telzer, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, emphasized the lack of longitudinal data in these studies, suggesting that adolescents with underlying brain connectivity differences might be more vulnerable to developing internet addiction.
Internet Addiction and Links to Other Addictions
Dr. Smita Das, an addiction psychiatrist and clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford Medicine, noted that if internet addiction is causing brain signalling disruptions, it may relate to neural pathways linked to addiction. Dr. Caglar Yildirim, an associate teaching professor of computer science at Northeastern University, added that the functional connectivity patterns in participants’ brains align with those observed in people with substance addictions.
Max Chang explained that internet addiction rewires the brain similarly to substance and gambling disorders, making it harder to resist internet-related stimuli. Unlike gambling or substance use, the internet is an integral part of our lives, necessitating a balance between its usefulness and potential dangers for adolescent development.
To help teens struggling with internet addiction, Dr. Das recommended behavioural strategies such as cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing. In severe cases, medication may be suggested. Additionally, underlying mental health conditions should be addressed, and preventative measures like limiting screen time and taking breaks should be considered.
Help For Parents in Canada
If you are concerned that your teenager is struggling with internet addiction or electronics addiction, Venture Academy can help. Call 866.762.2211 or contact Venture Academy online to get your teen the support they need to overcome electronics and internet addiction today. A member of our staff will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
