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What she just said. the kids who check their phones frequently seem to become more sensitive to what their peers were saying and doing. >> it's hard to say exactly what this might mean. the brain may be adapting and changing in a way that helps them to navigate their digital worlds. it could also be that these brain regions are becoming so hypersensitive to that peer feedback that it could potentially be related to downstream mental health, like social anxiety or depression or even more addictive social media behaviors. >> reporter: to be clear, you're saying "could" and "may" because you're n...

Peer or a scowl from your peer, what is happening in the brain? >> reporter: what's happening, she discovered, is that the kids in her test group, the ones who check their social media 15 times a day or more had more activity in the regions of their brains that process emotional reality. >> it's suggesting that this peer feedback is becoming more and more important to these adolescence. they're becoming hypersensitive to seeing and anticipating positive and negative feedback from their peers. >> reporter: let's underscore what she just said, the kids who check their phones frequently seem to b...

>> reporter: ceecee, too, has found it difficult to fully disconnect. do you still have social media accounts? >> i don't have instagram but i have senate chat and facebook. you almost feel like you have to have it in order to be included. >> reporter: eight out of ten american teens say social media makes them feel more connected to their friends' lives. about a third admit to spending too much time on the apps and more than half say it would be hard to give up. the long-term effects of all this usage on teens may not be known for years. but scientists like mitch and eva at the university of ...

Known for years. but scientists like mitch and eva at the university of north carolina chapel hill are trying to figure it out. >> can i play the game? i check my phone a lot -- >> reporter: for three years, the professor and her team had 175 children starting from age 12 play this game once a year while inside an mri machine. >> we're taking pictures of their brain while they play this game. >> reporter: it's designed to mimic peer feedback on the social media apps. i'm clicking as shapes appear. the faces i'm shown appear depending on how quickly i react. >> it's a queue for children and ado...

The faces i'm shown appear depending on how quickly i react. >> it's a queue for children and adolescence and smiling faces is a reward. scowling faces is a punishment. we're looking at brain activation right before they get that feedback. so, like, as you anticipate maybe getting a smile from your peer or a scowl from your peer, what is happening in the brain? >> reporter: what's happening, she discovered, is that the kids in her test group, the ones who check their social media 15 times a day or more had more activity in the regions of their brains that process emotional reality. >> it's sug...