'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Neuroscientist Emma Duerden says social media can alter children's brains and have negative impacts on their mental health.
"Social media can impact the developing brain in very specific ways," Duerden told CTV News Channel on Friday. "We know [social media] can act on the brain's stress response system, but also the reward system of the brain."
Duerden is an assistant professor at Western University and the Canada Research Chair in neuroscience and learning disorders. Her research has found links between screen time and "negative internalizing behaviours" that can lead to stress and anxiety in children.
"The screen is changing all the time," Duerden said. "Especially if they're sitting in classrooms where they're constantly getting notifications, that habitual checking has actually been associated with specific changes in brain regions involved in fear and anxiety in teenagers, so it's very concerning."
Duerden explained how social media use can also release the neurochemical dopamine into the brain. Associated with pleasure, dopamine can be triggered by activities like enjoying music and taking drugs. While we normally don't experience this kind of "rush" constantly in our everyday lives, social media can create a steady stream of rewarding feelings.
"That's where it's becoming really concerning for children, where they're on these apps, they're posting images, they're commenting on images, and they're often seeking validation," Duerden added. "They can be spending a lot of time online and avoiding in-person social interactions, which can lead to loneliness and social isolation and could really underlie some of the mental health concerns associated with using social media."
Four Ontario school boards announced Thursday that they have launched legal action to seek $4.5 billion in damages from Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta, the owner of both Facebook and Instagram, for creating products that have allegedly caused "widespread disruption to the education system."
Duerden encourages parents to have open dialogues about social media use with their children and to consider reducing screen time if necessary.
"If parents are concerned, really encourage limiting social media use, limiting screen time, having screen-free time during the day or… at meals," Duerden advised. "Really encourage limiting screen time use at least one hour before bedtime, as it's really associated with disrupting children's sleep which is so important for healthy brain development."
You can watch the full interview with Duerden above.
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
After a final frame that saw the visiting Vancouver Canucks claw their way back and tie the game late, a slap shot from the point by Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard with 38 seconds left (until what seemed like certain overtime) iced the 3-2 victory for Edmonton to knot the series.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker railed against Pride month, working women, President Biden's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and abortion during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend.
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
The province has released more information on its plan to break up Alberta Health Services and replace it with four sector-based health agencies.
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.