Teenagers are becoming more and more connected. It’s normal, times are changing and online platforms are taking up more and more space in the world. Online video games, social networks… everyone is fighting for a little spare brain time. This trend is causing growing concern among parents and mental health professionals. A new study, published in the journal PLOS Mental Health, provides concrete evidence of the harmful effects of this addiction on young brains.
Disturbances in essential brain functions
The study that interests us today is what we call a meta-analysis, there is nothing more solid in the academic field. Clearly, it is a sort of compilation of several other scientific publications in order to draw up an assessment, a state of the art, and, if possible, a scientific consensus. Thus, 12 neuroimaging studies carried out between 2013 and 2022 on several hundred adolescents aged 10 to 19 were scrutinized. By cross-checking the information, American researchers arrive at a clear conclusion: Internet addiction significantly disrupts signaling between brain regions responsible for controlling attention, working memory, and other crucial executive functions.
According to Max Chang, first author of the study and case manager at Peninsula Family Service in San Francisco, Internet addiction is characterized by 3 things :
- A persistent preoccupation, a frantic and irresistible desire to connect
- Withdrawal symptoms similar to other drugs when cutting off the Internet
- The sacrifice of personal relationships to spend more time online.
As with all addictions, these behaviors cause significant distress and an alteration in the daily life of the individuals concerned. This observation is in line with the statements of the WHO, which has officially recognized a “video game disorder” since 2019. We can expect, in the long term, that this disorder will be extended to a form of web addiction in general.
Study participants, clinically diagnosed as Internet addicted, showed signs of noticeable disruption in regions of their brain when engaging in activities requiring sustained attention, planning tasks, or decision-making fast. Researchers have also noted difficulty controlling certain emotional impulses. All these elements put together can seriously affect the daily lives of teenagers.
However, it should be noted that this study has some limitations. Dr. David Ellis, a behavioral scientist at the Institute for Digital Safety and Behavior at the University of Bath, emphasizes that the study does not establish a causal relationship between Internet addiction and the observed brain disturbances. As is often said: correlation is not necessarily causation. Finally, note that the criteria which define Internet addiction are not universally accepted, which could influence the interpretation of the results.
Prospects for treatment and prevention
Faced with these worrying results, the question of how to treat and prevent Internet addiction among adolescents becomes crucial. According to Dr. Smita Das, an addiction psychiatrist and associate professor at Stanford Medicine, Internet addiction can really be compared to substance addiction. So, we already have avenues to combat this new health concern.
Why such an observation? Quite simply because functional connectivity patterns in the brains of adolescents addicted to the Internet resemble those observed in people suffering from other more “classic” addictions, as indicated by Dr. Caglar Yildirim, associate professor at Northeastern University. in Boston. To put it simply, similar brain changes are observed in both cases.
For concerned parents, it is essential to monitor certain behaviors in their adolescents, such as withdrawal from social relationships. Encouraging adolescents to engage in offline activities is important. As with all addictions, prevention is better than cure. If it is already too late, know that certain scientifically proven psychological methods such as cognitive-behavioral therapiesmindfulness and motivational interviewing, can be effective in treating Internet addiction.
In severe cases, a psychiatrist may even recommend medication to treat certain types of technology addictions. It is also crucial to pay attention to other underlying mental health conditions that may require concurrent treatment. We often observe cases of comorbidities.
Source : CNN
