Are screens slowly making us dumber? This is the question that a recent study has delved into, and the results are quite alarming.
Ever since screens became deeply engrained in our daily lives, they have been hailed as essential devices for various activities such as work, education, and leisure. However, a new meta-analysis of previous studies has discovered something worrisome – frequent disorderly screen use is linked to lower cognitive functioning.
In a report by the UNSW Gonski Institute for Education, 84% of Australian educators believe that digital technologies tend to be distracting in a learning environment. Furthermore, excessive screen time has been identified as one of the primary challenges for young people, particularly in the realm of mental health, according to a recent Beyond Blue survey of Australian teachers.
In the face of these mounting concerns, more than half of Australian schools have adopted a “bring your own device” policy, encouraging students to spend even more time on screens. A 2021 study by Common Sense Media estimated that tweens spend an average of 5 hours and 33 minutes per day on screen-based entertainment, while teenagers use screens for a staggering 8 hours and 39 minutes daily.
The surge in screen use has even led to the development of screen-related addictions, particularly among children, adolescents, and adults. One notable example is gaming disorder, which affects 2-3% of the population.
The impact of screens on our cognitive abilities has sparked much debate among researchers and educators alike. Our recent study sought to understand the cognitive repercussions of “disordered screen-related behaviors” by conducting a meta-analysis of 34 studies that compared the cognitive performance of individuals with disordered screen use to those without it.
The results were startling, with individuals with disordered screen use consistently displaying significantly poorer cognitive performance in areas such as attention and impulse control. There was also no distinction in the negative effects based on the type of screen activity or the age group involved.
Shouldering the blame for these negative effects can be attributed to both the inundation of attention-capturing features and addictive cues present in screens, as well as the diminished capacity to moderate screen time among individuals with impaired cognitive functioning. Overall, it’s clear that the responsibility to address these concerns falls upon both tech companies and users themselves.
