Internet may change your brain. It is true that today world’s factual information is in our fingertips, this appears to have the potential to begin changing the ways in which we store, facts and knowledge in society, and in the brain, said Joseph Firth, from Western Sydney University In Australia. He says that using a high level of internet use may change the brain which could affect our attention, memory and social interactions. The research, published in the journal World Psychiatry found that the Internet can produce both acute and sustained alternations which may affect the brain.
According to Joseph Firth research high levels of Internet, use could indeed impact many functions of the brain. He has given us an example: the limitless stream of prompts and notification from the Internet encourages us towards constantly holding divided attention- which may decrease our capacity for maintaining concentration on a single task, says Firth. In addition to it, he says that the online world now presents us with a uniquely large and constantly- accessible resource for facts and information, in which one has to just tap and swipe away.
Most of the people are going crazy for these online technologies, along with social media and this is the concern of some of the teachers and parents. As per 2018 World Health Organization guidelines, it is recommended that children (aged 2-5) years should be exposed to one hour per day, or less, of screen time. Research also found that the vast majority of research examining the effects of the Internet on the brain has been conducted in adults.
To help with this, there are lots of apps and software programs available for restricting Internet usage and access on smartphones and computers- which parents can use some “family-friendly” rules around both the time spent on personal devices and also the types of content engaged with, says Firth. He also says ” Speaking to children often about how their online lives affect them is also important- to hopefully identify children at risk of cyberbullying, addictive behaviors, or even exploitation- and so enabling timely intervention to avoid adverse outcomes.
