The Danger of TikTok: Study Shows Social Media Use Changes the Brains of Teenagers

A recent study by psychologists shows that the regular use of social media is linked to changes in the brains of teenagers. This is especially troubling in light of the fact that the most popular social media platform for American teenagers is China’s TikTok, which pushes harmful messaging on teens as soon as they sign up for an account.

The effects of social media on children’s developing brains has long been a topic of concern for parents and policymakers. Now, the New York Times reports that a new study by neuroscientists at the University of North Carolina has shed some light on the issue, using brain scans to track the effects of social media use on middle school students aged 12 to 15, a period of rapid brain development.

The study found that children who regularly checked their social media feed at around age 12 showed increased sensitivity to social rewards from their peers over time. In contrast, teenagers with less engagement in social media showed a declining interest in social rewards. While the study cannot make definitive causal claims about the effects of social media on the brain, the authors suggest that the findings could potentially have long-term consequences well into adulthood.

The study was conducted on a diverse group of 169 students from a middle school in rural North Carolina. The students were split into three groups based on their reported frequency of social media use: habitual (checking feeds 15 or more times a day), moderate (checking 1-14 times a day), and nonhabitual (checking less than once a day). The subjects received full brain scans at approximately one-year intervals as they played a game that displayed rewards and punishment in the form of smiling or scowling peers.- READ MORE