'Young people only have an accelerator, no brake': Psychologist Cristina Balinotti warns about social media addiction on Voz News

This week Meta made headlines with a multimillion-dollar settlement to compensate several U.S. states for the damage its platforms caused to young people's mental health. But behind that figure lies a specific brain mechanism. Christina Balinotti, a psychologist specializing in family issues, explained this in an interview with Voz News, Karina Yapor. These platforms activate the same pleasure and reward system that the human brain uses in response to any pleasurable stimulus, only much more intensely in adolescents. To illustrate this, she used a simple comparison: "Young people only have the gas pedal and no brake, so they're constantly seeking pleasure," she said, though she clarified that the problem isn't limited to teenagers, it also affects adults.

When asked what makes these platforms so addictive platforms, Balinotti pointed to the constant repetition of images, social comparison and the pursuit of an unattainable physical perfection, amplified by filters and algorithms that constantly show more of the same content. "This pursuit of physical perfection, without any attempt to approach spiritual perfection or address human issues, does indeed cause adults to develop a sort of addiction to 'likes,'" she noted.

For the psychologist, behind this quest for digital approval lies a much deeper void. "We all want to belong; we all want to be recognized; and sometimes in this society, young people aren't recognized enough at home," she said, noting that parents' lack of time and attention pushes their children to seek that recognition through social media platforms. "We're very lonely, that's the conclusion," she summarized, contrasting digital hyper-connectivity with real isolation, which, she warned, has led to unprecedented levels of depression.

As for what parents can do, Balinotti stated that banning the use of phones is not the answer. "We shouldn't ban them. If we want to take away their cell phone, we must reduce their exposure to it, encourage certain behaviors, activities and outings, and offer them an alternative," she explained, emphasizing that teenagers who maintain good communication with their parents tend to use their phones in a less problematic way than those who do not.

Finally, the specialist pointed out the point at which a family should seek professional help: when all avenues for dialogue and support have been exhausted, and the behavior has become a true addiction. "That's when we really need to seek help from a mental health professional, because there are no diseases or disorders, there are individuals, there are patients, there are people who are suffering," she stated.