Teens: This is how social media affects your brain
Photos: How social media affects the teenage brain
Researchers at UCLA's Brain Mapping Center found that when teenagers' photos get lots of "likes" on social media apps, such as Instagram, their brains respond in a similar way to seeing loved ones or winning money.
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Photos: How social media affects the teenage brain
Thirty-two teenagers took part in the experiment, with brain scans showing how their nucleus accumbens -- the part of their brain linked to rewards -- became especially active.
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Photos: How social media affects the teenage brain
Being appreciated on social media, through "likes," was seen in brain scans to activate the reward centers of the brain, pictured.
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Photos: How social media affects the teenage brain
Reward circuitry is thought to be particularly sensitive during adolescence, which may partly explain why teenagers are such avid social media users.
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Photos: How social media affects the teenage brain
The teenagers were shown a bespoke version of Instagram during the experiment where the "likes" they saw weren't given by their peers, but instead assigned by the research team.
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Photos: How social media affects the teenage brain
The teens were shown "neutral" photos showing things like food and friends, and "risky" photos depicting cigarettes and alcohol, pictured. The study found that teens were more likely to "like" popular photos, regardless of the type of image.
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Photos: How social media affects the teenage brain
While social media has the potential to influence teenagers in good ways, it's important for parents to be aware of who their teens are interacting with online, says Lauren Sherman, lead author of the study.
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