Preteens' social media habits could be changing their brains

Over time, researchers found that 'habitual' social media users - those who checked their social feeds 15 times a day or more - responded quicker and more intensely to perceived good or bad emotions from peers, compared to students who checked once a day or less. — School photo created by freepik - www.freepik.com

Getting into the habit of checking social media "likes" and comments in middle school can significantly change the way students' "social brains" develop by the time they enter high school.

While children generally become more attuned to social interactions as they enter adolescence, those who are frequent, early social media users become particularly sensitive to anticipating social risks and rewards from their peers, finds a new longitudinal study published this week in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.