How Internet Addiction Could Affect Adolescent Brains

PARIS, June 8 — The impact of time spent in front of a screen on children is being studied closely by many experts around the world, with the aim of raising awareness among governments – and parents – of the importance of limiting exposure to such devices.

Meanwhile, a team of researchers based in the United Kingdom assessed the effects of Internet addiction on the brains of adolescents. They report that this type of addiction could significantly affect some of their intellectual abilities, and more broadly, their mental health.

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From sleep to body mass index to mental health, in recent years, scientific studies have followed one another to try to determine the effects of time spent in front of a screen, and on children and adolescents in particular.

While most of these studies highlight harmful effects, others are more nuanced, making it difficult to implement specific actions to regulate the screen time of these young users.

New research from scientists at University College London (UCL) focuses not on screens but on internet use, and specifically internet addiction, which can affect adolescent brains.

For this research, the two lead researchers, Max Chang and Irene Lee, analyzed 12 neuroimaging studies involving Internet-addicted adolescents.

The objective was to observe the brain and the changes induced by this addiction, and more particularly the changes in connectivity between brain networks which play an important role in behavior.

Published in the journal PLOS Mental HealthAnalysis of these studies suggests disruption of signaling in brain regions involved in neural networks in Internet-addicted adolescents.

In particular, this disruption was observed when performing activities controlled by the brain's “executive control network” (i.e., behaviors involving attention, planning, decision-making, and impulsivity) in adolescents addicted to the Internet compared to participants who did not have this addiction.

“Understanding how and where Internet addiction affects functional connectivity in the adolescent brain, as well as replicating fMRI studies across multiple populations, can guide future global therapeutic and public health interventions,” the researchers conclude in a press release.

However, the academics themselves qualify their conclusions, saying that “current responses simply paint an incomplete picture that does not necessarily portray Internet use as overwhelmingly positive or negative.”

They believe that further studies with a larger sample of participants are now needed “to confirm how Internet addiction changes the way the brain controls behaviors and therefore our overall well-being.” —ETX Studio