Neuroscientific Approaches to Adolescent Social Media Use: A Review of Neural correlates and Potential Associations to Social Media Behaviors.

Abstract

Adolescents' social lives are evolving rapidly, existing largely online. There are mixed findings on the effect of social media on adolescent mental health. However, large gaps remain in this literature. The current review integrates behavioral and neuroimaging studies as they conceptually relate the prefrontal cortex and social media use. In doing so, we emphasize the multifaceted nature of social media use, the difficulties in isolating component behaviors, and the usefulness of utilizing neuroimaging for future research.