This morning on a zoom call with Farzana and Sharusan, Patrick shared an article (linked above) with us, explaining how research has shown that young people are becoming less happy than older generations. The article interestingly says that young people are suffering âthe equivalent of a midlife crisisâ. When Patrick asked how we felt about this our response was that we werenât at all surprised. This article points to social media being the problem and, speaking from experience and likely as a whole for most of a younger population, we know that social media is a problem. I personally feel like I experience a mid-life crisis weekly!
While social media and technological advancements have led to great ways of communicating, learning, and allowing for self expression, studies consistently show that it can lead to negative mental health. This includes: addictions and distractions, influences on our selves such as body image and comparison, impact on sleep patterns, and a decline in face-to-face communication skills. Patrick also mentioned the element of continuous scrolling, notably observed on platforms like TikTok, which is a popular app for younger generations. Personally, I have noticed that my frequent use of TikTok in recent years has detrimentally affected my attention span. If something fails to immediately engage me (not limited to TikTok content), I tend to scroll away. This habit extends to watching TV shows while simultaneously scrolling on my phone, where I am unconsciously attempting to fully stimulate my brain in every capacity I can. I even, most importantly, struggle to focus during lectures, often finding myself and my peers mindlessly scrolling through irrelevant apps, playing games, or online shopping. Perhaps the most absurd thing is that this is something I am aware of and have made attempts to change, such as setting time limits on my phone for certain apps and social media, yet I ignore these time limits by easily swiping up on them.
Patrick also asked us three whether we often read which a couple of us did but admittedly, I read a lot less than I scroll on social media and I definitely read more as a child, when I didnât have the distraction of social media and my phone. Among my circle of friends, reading isnât a common pastime either. I believe that reading should be a more widespread interest, especially among young people with developing brains, but it appears to be more of a niche interest.
I have also been seeing the term âbrain rotâ on TikTok where most of us are actually aware of the impacts of social media. âBrain rotâ refers to âa condition of mental fogginess, lethargy, reduced attention span, and cognitive decline that results from an overabundance of screen timeâ(Newport Institute, 2024). What is particularly alarming is that we can acknowledge and observe these symptoms in ourselves, yet it seems to be a challenge for us younger generations to break free from this cycle.
Listed below are some ways Newport Institute (2024) thinks brain rot can help be prevented/improved:
- Setting time limits on screens (and sticking to them!)
- Curating your feeds on social media (being mindful of what you consume - does it make you happy?
- Pursuing non-digital interests (picking up a book?)
- Connecting with people offline
- Strengthening your mind
- Digital detox
Are you surprised by the article and that younger generations are becoming less happy? Do you think you have personally experienced brain rot? If you know any other ways to get over this âbrain rotâ and get off social media please list them below!
Thank you to Patrick for sharing this with us and kindly allowing me to take his idea to IF! This is often a topic I discuss with my friends so I know that it will resonate with a lot of the students here and this place is the perfect place to bring it!
Other links I have used/referenced:
What Is Brain Rot? How Does it Impact You? | Newport Institute Resources.
