From Friends to Facebook: How different screen times affect young brains
An Aussie study compared the effects on the brain of different types of screentimes including a David Attenborough documentary.
What is better for young brains — reruns of Friends, a Sir David Attenborough documentary, playing Angry Birds or scrolling social media?
A team of Melbourne researchers set out to describe the effects of different forms of screen time on the brain and mood following a brief exposure to screen-based content.
Monitoring brain activity by using functional near-infra-red spectroscopy and questionnaires, they found that even brief bouts of social media scrolling on a phone impaired focus in young adults aged 18-25.Â
The pilot study of 27 people compared responses to gaming, television and social media by measuring haemodynamic changes in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity during six short screen sessions.
