Name: Shipra Srivastava
Country: India

Year: 2026
Volume: Volume-11, Issue-1, January-June 2026
Page Number: 497-501
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20081804

ABSTRACT
Social Media addiction acts as a “digital dopamine” delivery system that overstimulates the brains cognitive systems. Chronic overstimulation leads to “digital anhedonia”, a diminished capacity to find pleasure in real world, less intense experiences. In recent years, social media addiction has become
deeply embedded in the everyday lives of human brain. These platforms, designed to capture and sustain user attention through different aspects like messages, comments, notifications and algorithm driven content, contribute to fragmented sustained attention reduced concentration and overstimulation. Social media influence on our brain function and cognitive abilities are not ignored. This review article aims to explore the negative impacts of social media on crucial cognitive brain functions. It was found that heavy social media users become less able to ignore distraction in general,
which leads to poorer cognitive performance and shrinks parts of the brain associated with maintaining concentration.

Key Words:- Social media, Cognitive processes, Attention, Decision-making, Neural pathways, Algorithm