Social networks alter minds of young people

Neuroscientist Baroness Greenfield has stated that social networks are altering the minds of a generation of young people.

The comments were made during a House of Lords debate around social networking.

Greenfield said that while the government was looking into issues around online child safety and privacy, the issue of how sites such as MySpace and Bebo were changing young people's minds had not yet been addressed.

One of the concerns about a generation growing up on social networks is that their minds would be “infantilized”, meaning they would suffer with short attention spans, sensationalism and an inability to empathise.

Those growing up online would also end up questioning their sense of identity as sites encourage them to build personal profiles, and that the government would not be able to accurately regulate social media without first understanding if, and how, they were 'threatening' young minds.