Second Screening or Multitasking with Smart Phones and Internet Affects Brain Health: Study

Teens who simultaneously watch TV, surf on the internet and check their Facebook updates are likely to have depression and poor brain health, finds a study.

It might seem creative to multitask with the smart phone, check mails and glance the television screen for a quick news update, but  these 'time-saving' habits can ruin one's emotional stability and brain health in the long run. A research team from the University of Sussex found that the phenomenon of checking multiple screens or ' second screening' deteriorates the volume of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a brain region related to emotions, decision making, reasoning, empathy and impulse. The expert conducted brain scans on 75 youngsters and noted the frequency of usage of digital devices, television and print media.

The scans revealed massive atrophy in the grey matter volume for youths who were second screening regularly. In addition, the study noted this behavior was common among two-thirds of the U.K.'s young population.

These results are indicative of how technology and environment can alter the brain structure, functioning and ability to process emotions. Teens and young adults have still developing brains that are vulnerable to drastic variations and impairments due to prolonged exposure to media and digital devices.

"Media multitasking is becoming more prevalent in our lives today and there is increasing concern about its impacts on our cognition and social-emotional well-being. Our study was the first to reveal links between media multitasking and brain structure," said Kep kee Loh, neuroscientist and researcher at the University of Sussex, reports the Daily Mail.

"I feel that it is important to create an awareness that the way we are interacting with the devices might be changing the way we think and these changes might be occurring at the level of brain structure," he adds.

So far the experts have not been able to determine the exact mechanisms that trigger such changes in brain area, and believe further investigations are neededr.

"Although it is conceivable that individuals with small ACC are more susceptible to multitasking situations due to weaker ability in cognitive control or socio-emotional regulation, it is equally plausible that higher levels of exposure to multitasking situations leads to structural changes in the ACC," said Loh, reports the Telegraph.

More information is available online in the journal PLoS ONE.