The more time teens spend online, the more they change

When I was a kid, I was told repeatedly, "TV rots your brain". More recently, that media rotting our brains idea has been redirected at the internet.

We're all aware of the effects too much of anything will probably turn to a bad thing, but more recently scientists have been taking a long hard look at long-term internet addiction and its impact on teenagers.

Regulation breakdown 📉

The University of Sydney has released a new paper suggesting that the longer teenagers spend online, the harder it becomes for them to self-regulate their emotions.

“We observed a pattern of behaviour over time that suggests internet addiction leads to emotion regulation problems," said Dr. James Donald, the author of the study.

He also went on to say, “We were surprised to find the negative effects of compulsive internet usage on things like the ability to set goals and understand one’s emotions.”

The best way to avoid that, said the paper, was to build in boundaries and healthy habits away from the web to provide balance.

If my 8 hours of watching TV every day as a teenager are anything to go by, that might be easier said than done.