Brain hacking: Heavy use of wireless devices changes brain structure in children

Dr. Joseph Mercola
Mercola.com

Most people today live in a sea of radio frequencies emitted from wireless technologies of all kinds, from routers to smartphones, tablets, baby monitors, TVs, appliances, smart meters and many more.

According to many experts, chronic, heavy exposure could have severe repercussions for our health, especially that of children, who are now exposed even before birth. Research also suggests interaction with social media, games and apps online produces a number of effects, both physical and psychological.

In the largest long-term study^1,2,3 of brain development and youth health in the U.S., the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study,⁴ reveals the brains of the most prolific users of electronic devices look different compared to those who use smartphones, tablets and video games less frequently.

In all, more than 11,000 children will be followed for a decade to assess how various childhood experiences and environments affect brain development and psychological health. As noted by the researchers,⁵ "The data will provide a resource of unprecedented scale and depth for studying typical and atypical development." These preliminary findings, based on the brain scans of 4,500 9- to 10-year-olds, reveal children who use electronic devices for seven hours or more each day have premature thinning of the brain cortex, the outer brain layer that processes information from the five physical senses (taste, touch, sight, smell and sound).

The exact ramifications of this anomaly are still unknown. According to Dr. Gaya Dowling, a researcher with the National Institutes of Health, which is sponsoring the $300 million study, thinning of the cortex is thought to be part of the brain maturation process, so what these scans are showing is that this process is being sped up in children who get a lot of screen time6 (7-plus hours a day).  

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Addictive video games may change children's brains in the same way as drugs and alcohol, study reveals

The Telegraph

ortnite and other addictive video games can have a similar effect on children’s brains as drug abuse or alcoholism, MRI scans reveal.

They show the “reward” system in the brains of young heavy users of social media and video games display the same changes in function and structure as those of alcoholics or drug addicts.

A series of studies by California State University found the impulsive part of the brain, known as the amygdala-striatal system, was not only more sensitive but also smaller in excessive users so that it processed the stimuli of social media or games faster.

The findings come as Britain’s children are gripped by the Fortnite video game, with one nine-year-old reportedly admitted to rehab after becoming so addicted she wet herself rather than leave the screen and primary schools urging parents to ban their children from playing them.

On Monday, the Daily Telegraph launched the Duty of Care campaign calling on ministers to make social media and online gaming companies subject to a statutory duty to protect children from harms such as addiction, bullying and grooming when using their services. 

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Porn and video game addiction are leading to 'masculinity crisis', says Stanford prison experiment psychologist

The Independent 

A leading psychologist has warned that young men are facing a crisis of masculinity due to excessive use of video games and pornography. 

Psychologist and professor emeritus at Stanford University Phillip Zimbardo has made the warnings, which form a major part of his latest book, Man (Dis)Connected. 

In an interview on the BBC World Service's Weekend programme, Zimbardo spoke about the results of his study, an in-depth look into the lives of 20,000 young men and their relationships with video games and pornography.

He said: "Our focus is on young men who play video games to excess, and do it in social isolation - they are alone in their room."

"Now, with freely available pornography, which is unique in history, they are combining playing video games, and as a break, watching on average, two hours of pornography a week."

Zimbardo says there is a "crisis" amongst young men, a high number of whom are experiencing a "new form of addiction" to excessive use of pornography and video games.

Zimbardo gave a TED talk in 2011 outlining the problems facing young men's social development and academic achievement, which he puts down to excessive use of porn, video games and the internet.

He cited the example of a mother he met while conducting the study whose son does not see the problem in playing video games for up to 15 hours a day.

Zimbardo said: "For me, 'excess' is not the number of hours, it's a psychological change in mindset."

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Video games intruding on reality, study finds

NZ Herald

Some video-game players are so immersed in their virtual environment that when they stop playing, they transfer their experiences into the real world. A study found evidence of game transfer phenomena, which result in gamers doing things in the real world as if they were still playing.

The most extreme examples included reaching for a search button when looking for someone in a crowd and seeing energy boxes appear above people's heads.

Half of the gamers questioned said they often look to use something from a video game to resolve a real-life issue.

In some cases these thoughts were accompanied by reflexes such as reaching to click a button on the controller even when it is not in their hands.

One interviewee reported seeing a menu of topics that were available for him to think about, while another created a list of possible responses in their head after being insulted.

"We believe this is the first study to attempt to explore game transfer phenomena," said Professor Mark Griffiths.

"Almost all the players reported some type of GTP, but in different ways and with varying degrees of intensity.

"A recurring trend suggests that intensive gaming may lead to negative psychological, emotional or behavioural consequences, with enormous implications for software developers, parents, policymakers and mental health professionals."

The research done by Nottingham Trent University and Stockholm University involved 42 interviews with frequent video-game players aged between 15 and 21. The study will be published in the next issue of the International Journal of Cyber Behaviour, Psychology and Learning.