Hijacked by the Feed: Social Media Neuroengineering-Induced Digital Anhedonia.

Authors

Shaheen E Lakhan

Published in

Cureus. Volume 17. Issue 4. Pages e83256. Epub Apr 30, 2025.

Abstract

Social media platforms have evolved from communication tools into hyperstimulating digital environments that directly engage reward and attention networks in the brain. Emerging neuroimaging studies reveal that heavy use, particularly among adolescents, is linked to functional and structural changes in regions governing emotional regulation, impulse control, and social cognition. These neural patterns resemble those seen in addiction, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and mood disorders. However, clinical medicine has been slow to respond. This editorial argues that we must reframe social media overuse as a neurologically mediated risk factor rather than just a behavioral concern. In addition to addiction-like engagement, a new affective pattern is emerging: "digital anhedonia," the diminished ability to find pleasure in real-world experiences after prolonged digital saturation. As a neurologist and neuroscientist who develops smartphone-based applications for therapeutic benefit, I have seen both the healing and the harm these technologies can cause. It is time to recognize, monitor, and mitigate the neurobiological consequences of digital overstimulation and reward desensitization.

PMID:
40309512
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 01 May 2025.

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