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AMERICAN V AM PSY'CN^ OLOGICA Usm wow ASSOCIATION TMEM Now SERVICES,INC. p words, social media offers the"empty calories of social interaction,"that appear to help satiate our biological and psychological needs,but do not contain any of the healthy ingredients necessary to reap benefits. Anecdotally, teens' behavior reflects this issue—the "Finsta" phenomenon reflects digital natives' attempt to find more honest and intimate relationships with one another, but without experience in doing so first offline. Scientific data also support this claim;research reveals that in the hours following social media use, teens paradoxically report increases rather than decreases in loneliness 10 Heightened Risk for Negative Peer Influence. Adolescents frequently are exposed to content online depicting illegal, immoral, dangerous, and unethical behavior. The architecture of many social media platforms allows users to like, repost, or comment on this content. Emerging data suggest that these features of social media present a significant risk to adolescents' mental health. Specifically, data reveal that social media may change adolescents' susceptibility to maladaptive behavior through both biological and psychological pathways. Research examining adolescents' brains while on a simulated social media site, for example, revealed that when exposed to illegal, dangerous imagery, activation of the prefrontal cortex was observed suggesting healthy inhibition towards maladaptive behaviors. However,when these same images were shown with icons indicating that they were "liked" on social media, there was a significant decrease in activation of the brain's imbibition center, suggesting that the "likes" may reduce youths' inhibition(i.e.,perhaps increasing their proclivity)towards dangerous and illegal behavior." This is evidence that social media features are changing how youths' brains respond to images in ways that confer risk for the development of maladaptive behavior. 10 Armstrong-Carter,E., Garrett, S.L.,Nick,E.A.,Prinstein,M. J., &Telzer,E.H. (2022).Momentary links between adolescents' social media use and social experiences and motivations:Individual differences by peer susceptibility. Developmental Psychology.Advance online publication I / (i trr /is� 0j 03`7/d v000i.503. rr See for example, Sherman,L. E.,Hernandez,L. M., Greenfield,P. M., &Dapretto,M. (2018). What the brain 'Likes':neural correlates of providing feedback on social media. Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 13(7), 699-707 i� �r //L1c,i r,a/i 0.�0°):3/�s zm/m�s 0.5 i. 8 AMORG APASERVICES.ORG 750 Furst Street,NIIE 202.336.5800 Advocating for APA rrterribers ood pnychC7logy Washington,DC'20002-4242 202.336,6i123 TDD