Social Media Dangers

Neuroscientists at the University of North Carolina have been working to find an answer to a question many of us have about the relationship between our kids and their use of social media. That question is this: what is social media doing to young brains. Using brain scan technology, researchers found that children who habitually checked their social media feeds at around age twelve showed a distinct trajectory of increased sensitivity to social rewards from peers over time. Kids who spent less time engaged with social media actually had a declining interest in social rewards over time. Dr. Eva Telzer reports that “teens who grow up checking social media more often are becoming hypersensitive to feedback from their peers.” One concern related to this study is that our kids are being nurtured into increasingly craving the attention of others. God made it so that our habits form us. In a sinful world, bad habits can deform us as well. Parents, set phone limits for your kids.