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“Virtually all games and social media work on what’s called a variable reward system, which is exactly what you get when you go to Mohegan Sun and pull a lever on a slot machine. Rich says these seductive digital pursuits appear to activate the brain’s reward system. The center’s Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders treats young people whose excessive gaming, social media, and other online activities are affecting their health and daily lives at home and school. “So even if they stay awake in algebra class,” Rich says, “they may not remember what happened in class yesterday.” Many teens who stay up late texting are not only getting less shut-eye, they’re also lacking the deep REM sleep essential for processing and storing information from that day into memory. “Boredom is the space in which creativity and imagination happen,” he says.Ī good night’s sleep is also key to brain development, and HMS researchers have shown that using blue light-emitting screen devices like smartphones before bedtime can disrupt sleep patterns by suppressing secretion of the hormone melatonin.
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Children need a diverse menu of online and offline experiences, including the chance to let their minds wander. Much of what happens on screen provides “impoverished” stimulation of the developing brain compared to reality, he says. The growing human brain is constantly building neural connections while pruning away less-used ones, and digital media use plays an active role in that process, according to Rich. “It’s not how long we’re using screens that really matters it’s how we’re using them and what’s happening in our brains in response,” says Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children’s Hospital, associate professor of pediatrics at HMS, and associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard T.H. Pediatrician Michael Rich, wants to understand how-and help children and parents manage their online behavior in this ever-changing digital landscape. While these devices can enhance learning and build community, they can also interfere with everything from sleep to creativity. Some of us can barely put them down, even when we’re with cherished family and friends. Whether we like it or not, digital devices are everywhere. Resources for those affected by War in Ukraine.Celebrating 50 Years of Diversity and Inclusion.Research Departments, Centers, Initiatives and more.
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