Internet addiction affects neural networks in adolescents’ brains: study
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London: Teenagers addicted to the internet undergo changes in their brains causing addictive behaviour, a study finds.
The finding comes after the researchers at the University College, London reviewed the brain imaging of 237 volunteers from East Asian countries.
Internet addiction, affecting multiple neural networks in the brains of adolescents, increases activity in some networks and decreasing it in other networks.
The activity in the executive control network, which is involved in thinking and goal-directed behaviour, is decreased by Internet addiction.
A complex mix of increased and decreased activity was noted happening in the areas of the brain called default mode network.
This area is activated when people allow their mind to wander without engaged in any specific tasks.
Max Chang, a researcher at the UCL and the review’s co-author, said that the altered neural activity from Internet addiction could cause "potentially negative behavioural and developmental changes that could impact adolescents'.
Chang added that the ‘functional connectivity changes seen in Internet addiction are similar to gambling and substance addiction’.
The addiction according to Chang will possibly cause youngsters to struggle in maintaining relationships and social activities, adding that they ‘lie about online activity, or experience irregular eating or disrupted sleep.’
Chang called teenage a ‘crucial development stage’, adding that during this period they undergo changes in their ‘biology, cognition and personalities’.
Senior co-author of the review Irene Lee advised young people to ‘enforce sensible time limits for their daily Internet usage’.
Irene asked teenagers to be aware of 'The psychological and social implications of spending too much time online.’
The new findings come as the other studies pointed out that over 80 per cent of teenagers in Asia, the UK and the US have access to internet.
However, internet addiction is found to be higher in the Asian countries (5.7 per cent) than European countries with 2.7 per cent.
Spending several hours on the internet disrupt studies or work of young people, raising concerns about the morbid aspect of the internet addiction.