Did you know that the teenage brain is biologically more sensitive to social rewards than the adult brain?
Social media platforms are built around rapid social rewards such as likes, comments, streaks, notifications.
For a developing brain, this can:
- Amplify emotional highs and lows
- Increase sensitivity to peer feedback
- Disrupt sleep through late-night engagement
- Reduce sustained attention over time
And, research confirms that the teenage brain is biologically primed to be more sensitive to social rewards, such as peer approval, admiration, and social media likes, compared to the adult brain.
The “reward” system develops earlier than the “control” system.
Large population studies have also linked heavy social media use in adolescents with higher rates of anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep disturbance, especially in vulnerable children.
This is why countries are debating restrictions for users under 16. The conversation isn’t about fear. It’s about brain development.
The goal is not to eliminate technology, but to align exposure with neurological readiness.
Children need sleep, offline friendships, unstructured play, and emotional safety for healthy brain growth.
As parents and educators, how do we create boundaries that protect development without disconnecting children from the modern world?