Parents fear web ‘rewires’ brain

More than a third of parents believe the internet has the power to “rewire” brains without a person’s knowledge, according to a research.

One in three believe their children are in danger from the web, and four fifths (80 per cent) believe it is possible to become addicted to social networking forums such as Facebook and Twitter, the study found.

The findings, however, fly in the face of the neurological evidence, according to the organisation which carried out the poll, the Nominet Trust, which promotes internet projects that address social disadvantage.

The Trust worked with neuroscience and education expert Dr Paul Howard Jones, who analysed research on the internet and society.

The report, The Impact of Digital Technologies on Human Wellbeing, concluded that there is no neurological evidence to suggest that the internet is more effective at “rewiring” our brains than other environmental influences.

It also found that the internet is a valuable learning resource and all forms of learning cause changes within the brain.

There have been reports that use of the internet with its vast resources of information is changing the way people think, affecting their ability to concentrate.

But the Trust said that “scaremongering and misinformation” about internet use can potentially deny its benefits to people, in particular parents who are worried about the effect on their children’s development.