Whether it was being lectured by our parents about sitting too close to the TV or being left with ears ringing from listening to music too loud – we’ve long known our bodies are not designed to cope with the extremes of new technology.
And last year, the rise of the term ‘brain rot’ was a sign we’ve accepted another nasty tech side-effect – screens are making us stupid.
More and more of us are feeling the negative effects of being constantly barraged with short bursts of information from platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, while being more addicted to our devices than ever before.
The problem is becoming so obvious that it’s become a hot topic on TikTok itself, the very platform many blame for fuelling social media addiction among Gen Alpha (those aged 15 and below) and Gen Z (between 15 and 28), with users discussing the long-term effects they are noticing.
Some claim they’re more easily distracted since developing screen addictions during the mind-numbing Covid lockdown years. Others say their ability to connect ideas and focus on long-term goals has diminished.
But they all agree on one thing: we’ve gotten dumber.
Respected neuroscientist Professor Andrew Scholey tells me screen addiction stems from a survival instinct ingrained in humans over the course of centuries.
He believes this is also the key to curing it.
The “Cure” is proper parenting. Both my teens have cell phones that I provided for safety purposes. Sure, they good off with their friends a bit, but they know I hold the reins. Instead of leaving them to become digital zombies, I teach them the basics; plumbing and electricity, how to paint and fix things; how to change oil and maintain a car; how to manage their bank accounts and anything else I can think of. They also have chores that focus on them working around the house and give them not only a sense of purpose, but also pride in their efforts. They well know their phones are a privilege – not a requirement – and as a result, I’ve never needed to more than casually warn them a few times. It’s all about expectations and nobody needs some fancy academic to tell how to parent.
I know a cure for it…………..parents stop paying for them.