Digital media, cognition, and brain development in adolescence

Drawing from the literature on adolescent cognitive development, we describe how digital media usage has been linked to cognitive control processes, including the regulation of affective responses. In addition, we highlight how digital media use is perceived as particularly gratifying for adolescents' needs. The use of digital media for prolonged periods or in a problematic way has been associated with structural and functional changes in the brain regions related to top-down control and reward systems. Studies are still at an early stage, mostly cross-sectional and based on self-reports. Measures used to assess digital media use mainly cover time and frequency of use, or problematic digital media use, with little or no focus on specific activities and content. Reported effects tend to be negligible-to-small; however, studies have rarely examined the impact of mental health conditions, which can in themselves be the underlying driver of cognitive changes and digital media use. We suggest future research should focus on establishing causality and directionality while highlighting positive uses in relation to cognitive development. More data examining different types of uses and contexts, including vulnerable and underrepresented populations and areas, are necessary before generalizing results.