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The truth about brain rot, according to science

CitationsJ. M. Nagataet al. Prospective associations between early adolescent problematic screen use, mental health, sleep, and substance use. American Journal of Preventative Medicine. Published online February. . .

By @sciencenews · · 3 min read

The truth about brain rot, according to science

CitationsJ. M. Nagataet al. Prospective associations between early adolescent problematic screen use, mental health, sleep, and substance use. American Journal of Preventative Medicine. Published online February 11, 2026. doi: 10. 1016/j. amepre. 2025. 108248S. Nivinset al. Digital media, genetics, and risk for ADHD symptoms in children: A longitudinal study. Pediatrics Open Science. Vol. 2, January 16, 2026. doi: 10. 1542/pedsos. 2025-00092J. M. Nagataet al. Smartphone use during school hours by U. S. youth in the adolescent brain cognitive development study. JAMA. Vol. 335, January 5, 2026, p. 453. doi: 10. 1001/jama. 2025. 23235M. Faverio and O. Sidoti. Teens, social media and AI chatbots 2025. Pew Research Center. December 9, 2025. S. Melumad and J. H. Yun. Experimental evidence of the effects of large language models versus web search on depth of learning. PNAS Nexus. Vol. 4, October 2025. doi: 10. 1093/pnasnexus/pgaf316S. E. Baumgartner. On the stabilization of media effects after repeated exposure: consequences for media effects research. Communication Theory. August 5, 2025. doi: 10. 1093/ct/qtaf017M. Nagataet al. What we know about screen time and social media in early adolescence: a review of findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Current Opinion in Pediatrics. Vol. 37, August 2025, p. 357. doi: 10. 1097/MOP. 0000000000001462N. Kosmynaet al. Your brain on ChatGPT: accumulation of cognitive debt when using an AI assistant for essay writing task. arXiv. org. Submitted June 10, 2025. doi: 10. 48550/arXiv. 2506. 08872A. M. F. Yousefet al. Demystifying the new dilemma of brain rot in the digital era: A review. Brain Sciences. Vol. 15, March 7, 2025, p. 283. doi: 10. 3390/brainsci15030283M. Woodfield, M. Rich & D. Bickham. Aspects of screen media use associated with reduced hours of nightly sleep in adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health. Vol. 76, March 2025, p. 573. doi: 10. 1016/j. jadohealth. 2024. 11. 157S. Nivinset al. Long-term impact of digital media on brain development in children. Scientific Reports. Vol. 14, June 6, 2024. doi: 10. 1038/s41598-024-63566-yM. T. Mazaet al. Association of habitual checking behaviors on social media with longitudinal functional brain development. JAMA Pediatrics. Vol. 177, January 3, 2023, p. 160. doi: 10. 1001/jamapediatrics. 2022. 4924B. Sauceet al. The impact of digital media on children’s intelligence while controlling for genetic differences in cognition and socioeconomic background. Scientific Reports. Vol. 12, May 11, 2022. doi: 10. 1038/s41598-022-11341-2D. J. Bhanderiet al. Smartphone use and its addiction among adolescents in the age group of 16–19 years. Indian Journal of Community Medicine. Vol. 46, Jan-Mar 2021, p. 88. doi: 10. 4103/ijcm. IJCM_263_20D. A. Sbarra, J. L. Briskin and R. B. Slatcher. Smartphones and close relationships: The case for an evolutionary mismatch. Perspectives on Psychological Science. Vol. 14, April 19, 2019. doi: 10. 1177/174569161982653L. E. Shermanet al. The power of theLikein adolescence: Effects of peer influence on neural and behavioral responses to social media. Psychological Science, Vol. 27, May 31, 2016, p. 1027. doi: 10. 1177/0956797616645673A. F. Wardet al. Brain drain: The mere presence of one’s own smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research. Vol. 2, April 2017, p. 140. doi: 10. 1086/691462S. E. Baumgartneret al. The relationship between media multitasking and executive function in early adolescents. The Journal of Early Adolescence. Vol. 34, November 2014, p. 1120. doi: 10. 1177/0272431614523133

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