When Impressive Titles & Qualifications Overshadow Good Evidence Based Research!
- The White Hatter
- 7 minutes ago
- 6 min read
CAVEAT -The internet is currently awash with misinformation and disinformation about everything from the causes and treatment of autism to the effects of technology on youth and teen brains. What’s troubling is how often these narratives sidestep the scientific method and disregard evidence-based research in favour of pushing agendas. Too frequently, these messages are delivered by people with impressive titles, wrapped in scientific language, or framed in fear tactics that make them sound credible even when the evidence does not support their claims.
Recently, we watched a popular technology podcast, where a clinical psychologist (PhD) spoke about the impact of technology and social media has on youth and teens. We are always searching out good evidence based research to help guide our teachings thus why we were eager to watch this podcast. However, within the first ten minutes, the expert claimed that:
“ a brain hooked on interactive screens and digital media looks just like a brain hooked on cocaine or heroine, same neural pathways, and it is the same addiction networks”
We will acknowledge there is a kernel of truth to this statement, both can activate “similar” reward pathways, however, researchers who actually study this issue describe this pathway very differently than the psychologist in the podcast . (1)
The psychologist in this podcast then went further, stating
“When your kids are playing with friends in the neighbourhood, there is a dopamine release. When you plop down on the couch and scroll Youtube shorts, or play Fortnite or go on social media they’re getting 100 to 200 times more dopamine than those healthy activities. They are flooded with an overdose of dopamine”
We sent an email to this psychologist asking for research to support their claims, and at the time of posting this article, no reply to our email with citations were provided. After reviewing the scientific literature, we found no credible evidence for dopamine surges of this magnitude - NONE! (2) Lots of people like to make this claim, but there simply is no evidence based research to buttress such a claim.
Here’s what research actually shows; enjoyable activities like gaming, listening to music, doing aerobic exercise, or eating a doughnut all increase dopamine activity in the brain’s reward circuits. These changes are real but moderate, nowhere near hundreds of times larger than offline activities. In short, video games can be engaging and motivating, but they DO NOT cause a “supercharged” dopamine flood like we see with cocaine, heroine, or other drugs. (2)(3)
Another dramatic claim made by this psychologist:
“There is only so much blood to go around in the brain. And I hope I’m not loosing people here. When you are on a digital device and your emotional brain, that middle part of your brain is highly activated, hyperarousal, all the blood goes there. So, it shunts blood from the thinking part of the brain. So , the thinking brain is not getting the blood flow it needs to be fully stimulated and fully grow. So, kids who spend too much time on interactive devices have a measurably smaller thinking brain”
Now lets discuss this psychologist’s statement about, brain “blood shunting” and kids who spend too much time on interactive devices having a measurably smaller thinking brain because of blood shunting. We are going to discuss this in two parts:
#1 - Blood Shunting
When you see a brain scan with areas “lit up,” that doesn’t mean other parts of the brain are shut down or harmed. It simply shows which regions are more active during a task compared with a resting baseline. Playing video games activates reward, attention, and motor circuits, but this does not deprive the prefrontal cortex or cause damage.
The brain fMRI scan, which measures relative changes in blood oxygenation in different regions of the brain. This is called the “BOLD” signal. When a specific area of the brain “lights up” on the scan, it simply means that neurons in that region are more active during the task compared to a resting baseline. That increased activity requires additional energy, so local blood flow rises to deliver more oxygen and glucose.
However, seeing activation in one area of the brain does not mean that other regions are shut off or starved of blood. The brain has an excellent regulatory system that ensures blood flow is balanced throughout. (4)(5) If one region becomes more active, it receives extra support, but this does not happen at the expense of other areas. For instance, the prefrontal cortex is not deprived simply because another part of the brain is highlighted. In fact, during many complex tasks, multiple areas, including the prefrontal cortex, are active at the same time.
It’s also important to note that fMRI scans do not measure brain damage. They only reveal differences in activity patterns between conditions. Damage results from events like stroke, traumatic injury, or toxic exposures, all of which involve an actual loss of blood supply or physical harm to brain tissue. By contrast, normal shifts in blood flow during activities such as gaming, reading, or listening to music are natural and safer processes that reflect healthy brain function.
#2 - Smaller Thinking Brain Because Of Blood Shunting Caused By Interactive Online Activities
In 2019, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) released preliminary findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study that caught a lot of attention. The data suggested that children who spent more than seven hours a day on screens tended to have thinner cortices, the outer layers of the brain responsible for thinking and processing, and we believe this is what this psychologist was referring to. While this raised concern, the researchers in the ABCD study were careful to stress that the results showed correlation, not causation. In other words, the scans could not prove that screen use was causing these brain differences. It is just as possible that children with certain brain structures may naturally be more drawn to screens.
Since then, further research using the ABCD dataset and other large studies have painted a more nuanced picture. (6)(7)(8) Many studies show that moderate use of technology is not harmful to brain development. In fact, in some cases, device use has been associated with stronger cognitive skills, such as improved visual-spatial ability or problem-solving. On the other hand, heavy and unbalanced use of interactive devices can be linked to challenges like lower academic performance or disrupted sleep. Importantly, these outcomes appear to be indirect consequences of how screen time is managed, through lost sleep or reduced physical activity, rather than the result of direct structural damage to the brain.
What experts agree on is this; the risks of technology often come from what it replaces. Too much time online can displace sleep, exercise, in-person relationships, and schoolwork. Those losses, not “shrunken brains”, are what most consistently explain negative outcomes.
It’s easy to be swayed by confident credentialed voices that sprinkle in brain scan jargon or frightening numbers. However, as parents and caregivers, we need to pause and ask, “where is the evidence to support your claim?” If bold claims cannot be backed up with solid, peer reviewed evidence based research, they are more likely “opinions” than evidence based science.
The healthier perspective is not to fear every moment a child spends with a device but to pay attention to balance and purpose. A child coding, writing, or video editing is engaging their brain in very different ways than a child endlessly scrolling social media. What they are doing with their time matters more than simply counting hours.
There is no credible research proving that video games or social media deliver 100 to 200 times more dopamine than playing outside, and there is no evidence that ordinary device use starves or shrinks a child’s “thinking brain.” That was the story being told in this podcast, but not what the science says.” What the science does show is that healthy routines, quality of engagement, and balance across activities are far more important than dramatic soundbites.
Parents deserve real information, not fear-driven “Enshitification”exaggerations (9) when it comes to youth, teens, and their use of technology, the internet, online gaming, and social media. Facts, not fear, will always be the better guide.
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
References:
