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·July 2, 2025·6 min read

TikTok ADHD Misinformation Can Mislead Young Minds

College students increasingly turn to TikTok for information, including on mental health. A new study found that exposure to misinformation about ADHD on the platform reduced students’ factual knowledge but increased their confidence in that knowledge. Participants who viewed misleading content were also more likely to seek both scientifically supported and unproven treatments.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 22, 2025·6 min read

More Social Media, More Depression: Study Links Cause and Effect

A new study has found that as preteens increase their social media use, depressive symptoms also rise—but not the other way around. Researchers tracked nearly 12,000 youth over three years and discovered that increased screen time predicted later depression, while depressive symptoms did not predict more social media use.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 10, 2025·5 min read

Heavy Social Media Use Linked to Believing and Spreading Fake News

Individuals who experience high levels of distress and functional impairment from excessive social media use are significantly more likely to believe fake news and interact with it. Researchers found that problematic users were more inclined to click, like, comment on, and share false news stories, regardless of their accuracy.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 10, 2025·4 min read

Moral Outrage Goes Viral, But Doesn’t Drive Action Online

A new study analyzing over a million posts linked to online petitions found that while moral outrage boosts a post's virality, it doesn't significantly increase petition signatures. Emotional and morally charged content spreads widely on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), but fails to translate into real-world collective actions.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 6, 2025·8 min read

Teens With Mental Health Conditions Use Social Media Differently

Adolescents with mental health conditions report distinct and often more negative experiences on social media compared to their peers. Those with internalising conditions like anxiety and depression were more likely to compare themselves to others, struggle with self-control, and experience mood changes tied to likes and comments.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 11, 2025·5 min read

Social Media Linked to Increased Risk of Delusion-Based Disorders

New research indicates a strong link between high social media use and psychiatric disorders involving delusions, such as narcissism and body dysmorphia. Conditions like narcissistic personality disorder, anorexia, and body dysmorphic disorder thrive on social platforms, allowing users to build and maintain distorted self-perceptions without real-world checks.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 14, 2024·6 min read

Smart Social Media Use Reduces Teen Stress

How young people use social media impacts their mental health more than how much time they spend on it. Researchers found that reducing harmful comparisons and fostering meaningful connections online can improve mental well-being, reducing loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 23, 2024·4 min read

Social Media Verification Drives Polarization and Echo Chambers

A new study shows that X's verification system, which gives verified users priority in algorithms, can increase polarization and trigger the formation of echo chambers. Researchers used computational modeling to simulate how verified users affect the spread of political opinions on social media. They found that when verified users with entrenched opinions post, their influence can drive polarization, while centrist ideologues can reduce it if present in sufficient numbers.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 30, 2024·3 min read

How Sleep and Social Media Shape Teen Brain Function

A new study links shorter sleep duration in teens to higher social media usage, involving brain regions crucial for executive control and reward processing. The inferior frontal gyrus and middle frontal gyrus are key in how adolescents regulate engagement with social media and manage decisions related to sleep.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 20, 2024·4 min read

Social Media Nightmares: A New Phenomenon

A new study finds a link between increased social media use and the likelihood of experiencing social media-related nightmares. These nightmares, often involving themes of cyberbullying, online hate, or excessive social media use, are associated with negative mental health outcomes like anxiety and depression. The research introduces the Social Media Nightmare-Related Scale (SMNS) to quantify this phenomenon and calls for further investigation into the impact of social media on dreams.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 2, 2024·5 min read

Social Media Use Does Not Diminish Offline Friendships in Youth

A new study challenges the concern that social media impairs young people's offline interactions. The study, part of the long-term Trondheim Early Secure Study, surveyed 800 individuals from ages 10 to 18, finding that increased social media use correlates with more offline socialization, not less.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 14, 2024·5 min read

Social Media Fuels Eating Disorder Echo Chambers

A new study investigates the role of social media in exacerbating eating disorders among users. Researchers used machine learning to analyze millions of tweets, uncovering a troubling cycle where harmful content related to eating disorders is easily accessible and often intertwined with regular diet discussions.