The Long-Term Impact of Digital Media on Brain Development in Children

Abstract

Digital media takes an increasingly large part of children’s time, however, the long-term effect on brain development is unclear. Here, we investigated the individual effects of digital media use (watching television and videos, using social media, or playing video games, respectively), while controlling for genetic predisposition and socioeconomic status. We included 4502 children with two MR-scans, aged 9–11 years at baseline, from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study. Children, on average, spent 2.2h/day watching videos, 1.2h/day using social media, and 1.2h/day playing video games during these two years. At the two-year follow-up MR-scan, digital media use had no effect on the change in the cortical surface or volume of the cerebellum. However, girls, but not boys, who spent more time playing video games showed a smaller change in the volumes of the striatum (β = -0.07 (-0.11 – -0.02); P = 0.03), and there was a significant interaction effect of sex and playing video games (P < 0.001). Overall, our findings suggest that digital media usage, particularly playing video games, does not affect cortical brain development but has a weak effect on the development of the striatum in a sex-specific manner in children aged 9–11 years. More studies, with longer follow-ups and studies of other age groups, are warranted.

Long-Term Impact of Digital Media on Brain Development in Children

“…Social media users often contend with constant distractions, which can significantly impact their behavior, leading to inattention symptoms. 43 Additionally, these users can become easily diverted from tasks like reading or homework, etc. Moreover, the use of social media necessitates continual response to stimuli, decision-making, and the execution of motor movements, among various other cognitive and behavioral tasks.…”