Today’s parents face unique tech dilemmas: When is the right time for kids to get their first tablet or smartphone? Will limiting screen time make children feel left out among their peers? And yet, long before deciding, it’s becoming increasingly obvious how essential it is to grasp the dangers of these pocket devices — how constant exposure to technology might shape young minds and influence their development.

Japanese researchers from the University of Fukui dug deeper into this through their recent Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. The study involved over 10,000 American children, aged 9-10 with a follow-up at ages 11-12, and what they found should be enough to cause parents — and anyone — to think twice about the role technology plays in our day-to-day lives. Children today are already sending more time behind screens than any previous generation, so the main question on the table was simple: “What happens inside a child’s brain after thousands of hours in front of screens?”

Notably, this study was not designed merely to observe behavior and how it relates to screen time. Rather, researchers studied how heightened levels of screen time affect brain structure — which is why children were the ones being analyzed. MRI scans found a clear trend: children with “heavier screen time [were] associated with measurable differences in brain structure” such as “reduced thickness in areas controlling attention, memory, and impulse control.” Even within a two-year period, significant screen time was associated with kids having “smaller volume in the brain’s reward center and less gray matter overall,” as well as increased symptoms of ADHD.

What makes this study more unique is that these researchers followed kids as their brains developed rather than looking at a single moment in their lives. At a two-year follow-up, they looked closely at 7,880 of the 10,116 kids. As StudyFinds detailed, “Parents reported ADHD symptoms using the Child Behavior Checklist, while screen time calculations included all device use — video games, television, smartphones — averaged across weekdays and weekends.” Researchers also considered multiple factors throughout the process, such as age, sex, race, household income, parental education, sleep duration, and physical activity levels.

“After two years,” the outlet noted, “children with higher baseline screen time showed measurably thinner cortex in three specific regions. The right temporal pole, involved in social cognition and language, showed reduced thickness associated with screen exposure. So did the left superior frontal gyrus, which handles working memory and attention control, and the left rostral middle frontal gyrus, tied to cognitive flexibility and decision-making. These aren’t arbitrary brain areas. They’re precisely the regions that support the kinds of cognitive functions that weaken in ADHD — sustained attention, impulse control, working memory, and planning ahead.”

While unable to confirm, the study pointed to the possibility of screen time “interfering with typical cortical growth,” which directly affects areas of attention and behavior. What’s interesting, however, is that this study did not pinpoint causation — why screen time impacts brain development and structure.

What did the study not take into account? First, it didn’t carefully consider what these children were watching or engaging in during their screen time — whether they were watching educational videos on YouTube or playing video games. It also didn’t account for the size of the screens, lighting conditions, and whether screen time replaced other activities like going outside, playing sports, practicing an instrument, etc.

StudyFinds also noted, “Effect sizes throughout the study were small enough that clinical significance remains uncertain for any individual child. A statistically detectable difference in cortical thickness doesn’t necessarily mean a child will struggle academically or socially.” However, the Japanese study highlights the structural brain changes linked to excessive screen time, but it’s still crucial to zoom in on the actual content and activities children encounter on these devices. Unfortunately, screen time isn’t just passive but often interactive and unfiltered. Far too often, kids are exposed to harmful material that only increases developmental risks that go beyond brain structure and bleed into the realm of emotional and spiritual well-being.

For example, one of the most alarming exposures is to pornography, which is far easier for children to access in 2025 than ever before, thanks to smartphones, tablets, and lax platform moderation. Increasingly, studies reveal how children are exposed to pornography by age eight — if not younger. In fact, data shows that a shocking majority of children come across explicit content online, even when they aren’t even looking for it. And it’s not just porn sites, but every day social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok. Even still, further dangers remain.

Kids are commonly contacted by complete strangers online, which often leads to grooming or exploitation. Cyberbullying continues to be an online plague, and more and more kids are losing their ability to engage with others, think critically, or have friends that are not exclusively online. And adding fuel to the fire is the booming growth of artificial intelligence, which not only blurs the lines between fiction and reality to an alarming degree but has already begun taking on the role of girlfriend, boyfriend, or best friend. Children, teenagers, and adults alike are turning to chatbots for validation, comfort, or even conversations with AI “Jesus,” as well as deceased people through something called “deadbots.” Somehow, it’s becoming normal for the human soul, built for real connection, to seek solace in an engineered, soul-less, robot that can’t do anything but regurgitate prompts and mimic authenticity — even though everything about it is fake.

Of course, this all correlates with increased levels of anxiety, depression, sexual promiscuity, and even aggressive or inappropriate behaviors, which already run rampant in our society. And to make matters worse, so much of what hurts online users — young or old — goes unnoticed. In other words, the Japanese researchers found a major discovery in the way screen time may potentially with typical cortical growth and brain structure development. And while they may not have proof of long-term outcomes, it seems inevitable that, without proper action, unregulated screen use and social media developed worldview will have dire consequences.

For parents (and society), several questions linger: How do we harness technology’s benefits — like educational apps or connectivity — without letting it erode kids’ brains and innocence? How should platforms enforce stricter mandates for age verification and content moderation, and what role does government play in this? And at what point does technological advancement go too far? If you ask me, it already has in many ways.

We live in a wired world, and technology is not going away. No, it is not inherently evil. But in a fallen world, it will and already has been abused. Who do we want children to be raised by — parents or machines? Where do we want them to go when they have questions about the things that matter — real people or generated answers based on prompts? We have to ask ourselves these questions. Children need guidance, and the truth about our age is that if that role is not filled by the humans that love and know them most, some lifeless or ill-willed actors will step in — if they haven’t already.