Whether it’s getting lectures from our parents about sitting too close to the TV or leaving our ears ringing from listening to music too loud – we’ve long known that our bodies aren’t designed to handle the extremes of new technology.
And last year, the emergence of the term “brain rot” was a sign that we have accepted another bad side effect of technology: that screens are making us stupid.
More and more of us are feeling the negative effects of being constantly bombarded with short information from platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, while we become more addicted to our devices than ever before.
The problem has become so visible that it has become a hot topic on TikTok itself, the same platform that many blame for fueling social media addiction among Generation Alpha (ages 15 and under) and Generation Z (ages 15 to 28). Where users discuss the problem and the long-term effects they notice.
Some claim they have become more easily distracted since their screen addiction emerged during the grueling coronavirus 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 become dumber.
Respected neuroscientist Professor Andrew Scholey told me that screen addiction stems from a survival instinct that has been ingrained in humans over centuries.
He believes this is also the key to his treatment.
Respected neuroscientist Professor Andrew Scholey (pictured) says social media addiction is driven by ancient instincts that make us vulnerable to negative information.
“The problem is that there is an algorithm that dictates what appears in your feed, and humans have evolved in such a way that negative information becomes more salient,” he says.
“It was more important to remember to escape from a tiger hiding in the jungle than to remember to escape from a tiger hiding in the jungle.” [to remember] Where the beautiful fruit was, because the former has more to do with survival.
“There is a lot of research that shows that negative things attract more attention than positive things.
That’s why, when we spend any significant amount of time on social media — consuming mostly provocative, negative content or the “taste of anger” that algorithms tend to favor — “it can get very overwhelming,” says Professor Scholey.
Professor Scholey points out that as a result, it will take some time for our brains to heal from brain rot, but he stresses that it can be done.
He believes the best treatment for brain fog is much like the treatment for brain fog, where increased pressure on the brain leads to a decline in function.
“Part of it is exercise and a good diet, but the rest is very important too,” he explains.
“There’s a great book by Dr. Claudia Hammond called The Art of Rest that talks about the value of doing relaxation, things that don’t cause stress.
Oren (pictured with his daughter) started limiting his 10-year-old’s screen time after noticing it was having a noticeable impact on her health and behaviour.
‘It’s different for everyone. For some people it is gardening, for some people it is exercise, and for others it is meditation or bathing.
“By doing these things, we help our brains enter the default state network where we daydream and let our minds wander.” [as opposed to needing constant stimulation]There is evidence that it is healthy.
Professor Scholey was encouraged to see brain rot listed as ‘Word of the Year’ as it demonstrated growing awareness around screen and social media addiction.
“It’s like how much mental health awareness has grown over the last five to 10 years, which is really important,” Lee said.
“This will likely start to trickle down to people becoming aware of spending too much time on social media and will prompt people to implement ways to reduce their use.”
For those looking to help speed up their brains’ recovery from screen addiction and brain rot, Professor Scholey recommends a series of products he helped develop using Ārepa-branded beverages and supplements.
Ārepa products feature Neuroberry, a black grape from New Zealand that has been shown to improve mental performance and alertness by aiding neurotransmitters.
“There is really exciting research from New Zealand that has identified the molecule sarmentosin – also a compound in New Zealand blackcurrant – that helps dopamine and serotonin,” says Professor Scholey.
ScreenCoach uses a rewards system to encourage kids to “earn” screen time by doing other, more productive activities
“What was really important about this research were the human nutrition studies – where people had a cannula in their arm and had blood drawn from them every 10 minutes and analysed.
It found that people who were given the equivalent of a handful or two of berries began to increase dopamine and serotonin levels in 10 minutes with the effects lasting for four hours.
“It was from just one dose – the same dose we use in Ārepa.”
Another company that helps screen addicts, with a focus on kids, is ScreenCoach.
Father Oren, 48, from Melbourne, started using the app – which rewards users for doing chores and activities with screen time – last year.
ScreenCoach has several features that parents have found useful in weaning their children from excessive screen time. First, it identifies and schedules the time the child can use the device. But most importantly, it gives kids the ability to earn extra screen time by completing choices, homework, or playing outdoors, which fosters a sense of responsibility and encourages diverse activities.
Many children who find themselves playing outdoors with friends in order to “earn” extra screen time soon realize that the real world is much more interesting, and end up losing interest in the iPad completely, happy customers report.
Oren and his wife had given their 10-year-old daughter an iPad just two years ago, but they had already noticed its negative effects on her health and behavior, and on some days found her glued to the device since she came home from school. When I went to bed.
“It’s a big problem.” When I was a kid, we would all be around the TV and watch things together, but iPads are only for one user,” Oren told us.
She mostly plays Roblox. It’s a platform with tons of games and other players can create their own, so it never ends and is very addictive.
“Before, she was doing a lot of activities like drawing and playing with Lego, but once she got her own screen, she always prefers to be on it. She can spend up to five hours a day on it.
The iPad quickly became a source of stress for the young family, who moved to Australia from Israel in 2019.
“There would be a lot of arguments because we didn’t like having it on the iPad that much,” Oren says.
“If we tried to take it away from her, she would cry and get stressed. When we mentioned spending less time looking at the screen, she would get nervous and irritable.
It was sad for us because we bought it with good intentions. She loves reading, so we thought she could use it to read.
But since using the ScreenCoach app, Oren has noticed a huge change in his daughter’s behavior.
“Now she uses the iPad for two hours a day and is doing her hobbies again,” Oren says.
“She draws, loves art, and practices piano.
“She also knows that she needs to do her jobs to gain more screen time, so there is much less stress because we are not restricting her.” It’s more organic and has a routine.
The masterminds behind ScreenCoach, psychologist Steph Cacris and her tech-savvy husband Peter, told me they don’t just use it for their kids; They also use it themselves.
“I’m completely addicted to my phone,” Peter says.
“I mean I’m very, very careful about spending time away from it and putting it down, but I check everything.
“If I want to see the weather, check my calendar, validate something — the first thing I do is pick up my phone.
We have become deeply attached to them. We often hear that ScreenCoach helps kids and people will ask, “Does it help parents too?” Because we all face the same problem.
Steve adds that the problem is widespread and well-documented among psychologists.
“Every professional who works with children will tell you the health effects of too much screen time. “They are huge,” she says.
“We know that children are not getting enough physical exercise at school. Their concentration at school has decreased.
“Teachers are pulling their hair out because they can’t get kids to focus at school, and a lot of that is due to constant dopamine hits from screen time at home.
“The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne conducted a survey asking parents about their health concerns about their children, and social media was the number one issue.”