Social Media Use Associated with cognitive Advancement in Preteens, Studies Find
WASHINGTON – Emerging research suggests a correlation between social media use adn reduced cognitive abilities in preteens, specifically impacting reading comprehension and memory skills. Two new studies,published this week,add to a growing body of evidence highlighting potential developmental consequences of early and frequent social media engagement.
Researchers analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a large-scale, long-term study following more than 11,000 children. The studies revealed that 13-year-olds who frequently used social media demonstrated lower scores on cognitive tests assessing reading ability and memory recall compared to their peers with limited social media exposure.
“We found that the more time kids spend on social media at age 13, the lower their cognitive performance is at age 14,” explained Dr. John Nagata,a pediatrician and researcher involved in the studies.
Further research from Nagata’s team indicates that a significant majority of children begin using social media before the age of 13, with nearly two-thirds starting before their 13th birthday and the average user maintaining three social media accounts. They also found high rates of addiction-like symptoms related to smartphone use among 10-to-14-year-olds.approximately half of children with smartphones reported losing track of time while using them, a quarter used social media to escape problems, and 11% reported negative impacts on their schoolwork.
Experts emphasize the critical nature of adolescence for brain development. “After the first year of life, the adolescent period is the time where we see the most growth and the biggest reorganization of the brain in our lifetimes,” stated dr. Mitch Prinstein, a psychologist and co-author of a related study. His team’s research suggests heavy social media use can alter brain development, making teens more sensitive to social feedback and perhaps diverting cognitive resources from other essential skills.
“What we’re finding is that kids become hypersensitive to the kinds of likes, comments, feedback and rewards they might get from peers,” Prinstein said. “It makes perfect sense that if their brain is growing to be optimized for social media activities, it might not be optimized for other things they need to do.”
Researchers are advocating for policy changes, including age limits on social media platforms. Denmark recently announced plans to enforce a social media ban for users under 15, and Australia is implementing measures to prevent individuals under 16 from creating or maintaining accounts starting in December 2025. Dr.Stephanie Madigan, another researcher involved in the studies, expressed hope that these actions will inspire similar legislation globally.
