Analyzing the Deleterious Effects of Social Media on the Neurologic Reward Systems of Female Adolescents

• In Event: Student Forum Roundtables Session
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Roundtable 9: Social Media and Digital Culture

Abstract

Female adolescents maintain higher levels of anxiety, sleep disorders and report detrimental impacts due to social media usage. While it is important to account for the mental aspects of social media use including sleep disorders and anxiety, analyzing the biological factors that exacerbate these pathways is also equally essential. The neurologic reward system, or mesolimbic pathway, is primarily operated by the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is released heavily during social media usage, exacerbating both anxiety and sleep disorders. This study examines the detrimental effects that social media has on the neurologic reward system through the BAS (biological, anxiety, sleep) Model, examining how biological factors such as the mesolimbic pathway, visual cortex and brain activity mediate anxiety and sleep quality. To test these variables, the study surveyed 123 female high school students. The survey consisted of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Survey, Social Media Attachment Scale, and Sleep Quality Survey. The second part of the study consists of eye tracking and measuring brain activity levels through EEG (electroencephalogram) data measuring brain activity. Only part 1 has been completed with analyzed results. Part 2 is currently in progress and results will be completed and analyzed in April. Survey analysis found significant relationships anxiety and social media attachment (p=0.067). There was an insignificant relationship between the total daily social media hours and sleep quality scores (p=0.618). However, the scores-maintained equivalence between the groups using social media for 30min-2hr and 2hr+, showing that sleep quality is affected by other factors than total social media usage duration (p=0.018). These results show the vitality of analyzing the biologic factors contributing to anxiety and sleep quality including the mesolimbic pathway, eye tracking and brain activity. This can lead to therapies/ treatments to remediate these two mental disorders and foster better mental health for females to combat the aforementioned disparity.

Author

• Sameera Rampertab, Sacred Heart Academy