With the assistance of research fellow Dr. Alexandra Gaillard at Swinburne University, she recently published a study. It exposes the effects of social media on the brains of adolescents and young adults. Using microelectrodes, Dr. Gaillard was able to monitor oxygen consumption and electrical activity in the brain of 27 young adults between the ages of 18 – 25 years old. According to my research, three minutes of phone screen exposure negatively shifted mood and energy levels. It also had an impact on stress, attention, and overall wellbeing.
The research looked at people’s reactions to the various media types, particularly gaming, television, and social media. Social media prompted the most dramatic increase in blood flow to specific parts of the brain. Shockingly, this wave of new advocacy didn’t result in any meaningful dialogue. Gaming took that oxygen and used it to cultivate problem-solving and active engagement.
Dr. Gaillard emphasized the implications of her findings, stating, “The main takeaways that our research really showed that time spent on social media may be a waste of resources for the brain can lead to decreased focus and increase in stress.”
More young people are spending time on social media platforms. Experts are increasingly worried about its long-term impact on brain development. Lead author Associate Professor Suzanne Schweizer from UNSW Sydney stressed the need for more research in this vein. She noted, “Because young people spend so much time interacting online – we need to know does it actually influence their brain development and if so again how so those are reasons why it’s important that we invest more in experimental research.”
Professor Michael Dezuanni welcomed the intricacies of this emerging stream of research. In evaluating the impacts of social media on young people, we need to be thoughtful about what we’re looking at and the context behind it,” he explained.
This research is critically needed. A federal government ban goes into effect on December 10th that will block social media access for anyone under 16 years of age. This policy is a step towards acknowledging increasing alarm over social media’s impact on young people.
Study participants were asked to think about their own social media experiences. One individual admitted, “Definitely scroll on Instagram way too frequently, way more than I need to, yeah it’s in the back of my mind but I’m not super conscious about it.” Another participant described the challenges of maintaining focus, stating, “You just lose focus for even a second – you just go in there – it’s like a doom scroll, you start doom scrolling for an hour or something, so you’re just unproductive after that, that’s it.”
