Instagram worst social media app for young people's mental health

by Kara Fox, CNN

Updated 2128 GMT (0528 HKT) May 19, 2017

Researchers at <a href="http://www.bmap.ucla.edu/" target="_blank">UCLA's Brain Mapping Center</a> 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.
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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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.
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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Being appreciated on social media, through "likes," was seen in brain scans to activate the reward centers of the brain, pictured.
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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Reward circuitry is thought to be particularly sensitive during adolescence, which may partly explain why teenagers are such avid social media users.
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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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.<br />
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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