From Plato to TikTok: the anxiety about technology rotting our minds is older than you think, and the science is considerably more nuanced than the headlines suggest.
This article came through at the point when I am 2 weeks into full abstinence from social media so this is a very interesting read for me, thank you. Not completely motivational for my abstinence journey though 😅
Rather belated but I am now at the 4 week mark so thought I'd check back in! I now realise that "abstinence" may have meant willpower alone, that absolutely would have failed. I have:
- used Brick, an NFC tag thing that you need to physically go and tap to unblock the apps
- used a pause-on-unlock app called Intenty and a new flip-case to try and break the compulsive muscle memory that had me 10 tiktoks in without even realising what I was doing.
- treated it as an experiment and, this feels embarrassing to admit, but talking to ChatGPT about it was really helpful.
And it does seem to have worked!
Week 1 was hard, so I just let myself binge netflix instead.
Week 2 I was really emotional, more time sat with my own thoughts than I was used to I think..! But I did start seeing improvements from then.
There are definite noticeable benefits, I am feeling far less scattered, I can do chores without feeling like I need my phone right there playing videos, I'm more on top of my work, and, for the first time in YEARS, I actually *want* to read again. That is a delight.
But I definitely do feel disconnected as you touched on. I WFH, don't live near friends or family, and reading the news makes me depressed, so it was largely a way of connecting with the outside world. So I think I'm going to start giving myself a weekly catch up with my mum's Facebook posts but on my tablet only, so it's an intentional choice.
Sorry this is so long, probably partly because I'm starved of social connection 😂
Thanks for the update Ellen and congratulations on doing 4 weeks! I think it's a great idea to treat it as an experiment and as for talking to ChatGPT, why not, especially given you found it helpful.
Your experience mirrors the research findings, particularly regarding feeling disconnected. An intentional weekly catch up with your mum, is a positive step on multiple levels.
Such a crucial topic. That’s partly the reason why I moved here. Long and short form written content is far better for your brain than short form video content like reels on Instagram. Reading and writing actually helps develop the higher order regions of the brain!
As a teenager i got a question about this. Firstly I’m so happy I read this master piece i genuinely feel impressed since i’m actually interested in this topic . And here is my question, is there a specific safe period of time for a video or there is any technique that might help preventing brain rot beside screen limits. I’m asking because i as thinking seriously to be a content creator . Despite wanting an educational content at the end it addictive social media . so i want to know if there is any way to help reducing screen time beside limiting the social media activity. I would appreciate a respond even it not scientifically proven
On the time question, the research doesn't point to a magic number. What it does suggest is that how you're engaging matters more than how long. The mindful friction approaches in the article are probably the most practical starting point, but beyond those, the reflection angle from the CBT research is worth trying: understanding why you reach for your phone in a particular moment, and what you're actually looking for, tends to work better than just trying to cut back through willpower alone.
Thank you very much for this comprehensive and excellent overview of the current state of this issue.
I strongly agree that the key to the ultimate effect of scrolling on the brain lies in its enormous plasticity. Specifically, I believe that the ultimate effect of “screen addiction” will depend on something we do not yet know: the type of tasks and functions people will have to perform in their lives and at work once AI is being used to its full potential. Will humans be limited to performing simple, mechanical tasks, or will they create “superior” products based on what AI does? Will we devote ourselves to art, human relationships, and science in their most sublime forms? Will we vegetate because we won’t have to work? Whatever happens will shape human brains.
Thank you for this fascinating perspective. The question you're raising is one the research hasn't begun to touch yet. Whether human cognition adapts toward complexity or retreats toward passivity may ultimately depend less on screens themselves and more on what society asks of human minds once AI does all the heavy lifting.
Great article! Points to the limitations to correlational research and the need for longitudinal research that considers the whole person, so as to to study psychoneurosocial dynamics. But, not cost effective for researchers, so fat chance of that happening much. Did some online reading on neurological "rewiring" a while ago. Outcome: Ended up getting advertisments to have my house rewired .
Loving the trailer! I would gladly watch that with a sense of nostalgia. For actual brain rot though we have to venture deep into the dark side of YouTube as I call it. Or basically anything on TikTok 😉 which I can proudly say I was never part of. Awareness is key. Once again serving as a true anchor, observing and assessing our habits and triggers because sometimes our brains need a break from the deep thinking.
I read somewhere that ai bots trained on brain rot like content also exhibited signs of cognitive decline.
People choosing brain rot on purpose as a form of non conformity. An interesting point. It's like you want to unplug and watch the same mindless sitcom on streaming services. I actually find short clips of low value anxiety inducing. Although I can relate with endless scrolling on LinkedIn or substack just visually consuming without actually engaging mentally as a form of distraction.
The sitcom parallel is a great one. That point comes out in the research, that mindless leisure as a counterweight to productivity pressure is nothing new. We just have a more infinite version of it now.
As a 13 year old Gen Xer in the UK in 1982, I along with everybody my age was obsessed with The Young Ones - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82lma3LV-Fc - nearly every boomer at the time would have said it was brain rot.
Your experience of short clips being anxiety inducing rather than relaxing is an important observation. The decompression function clearly isn't universal.
The LinkedIn and Substack observation is astute too. The mode of consumption matters as much as the content itself, regardless of how intellectually rich the platform is.
This article came through at the point when I am 2 weeks into full abstinence from social media so this is a very interesting read for me, thank you. Not completely motivational for my abstinence journey though 😅
Oops, sorry about that 😅 Two weeks is impressive! Would love to know how it's going.
Rather belated but I am now at the 4 week mark so thought I'd check back in! I now realise that "abstinence" may have meant willpower alone, that absolutely would have failed. I have:
- used Brick, an NFC tag thing that you need to physically go and tap to unblock the apps
- used a pause-on-unlock app called Intenty and a new flip-case to try and break the compulsive muscle memory that had me 10 tiktoks in without even realising what I was doing.
- treated it as an experiment and, this feels embarrassing to admit, but talking to ChatGPT about it was really helpful.
And it does seem to have worked!
Week 1 was hard, so I just let myself binge netflix instead.
Week 2 I was really emotional, more time sat with my own thoughts than I was used to I think..! But I did start seeing improvements from then.
There are definite noticeable benefits, I am feeling far less scattered, I can do chores without feeling like I need my phone right there playing videos, I'm more on top of my work, and, for the first time in YEARS, I actually *want* to read again. That is a delight.
But I definitely do feel disconnected as you touched on. I WFH, don't live near friends or family, and reading the news makes me depressed, so it was largely a way of connecting with the outside world. So I think I'm going to start giving myself a weekly catch up with my mum's Facebook posts but on my tablet only, so it's an intentional choice.
Sorry this is so long, probably partly because I'm starved of social connection 😂
Thanks for the update Ellen and congratulations on doing 4 weeks! I think it's a great idea to treat it as an experiment and as for talking to ChatGPT, why not, especially given you found it helpful.
Your experience mirrors the research findings, particularly regarding feeling disconnected. An intentional weekly catch up with your mum, is a positive step on multiple levels.
Thanks again for the update and well done you.
Such a crucial topic. That’s partly the reason why I moved here. Long and short form written content is far better for your brain than short form video content like reels on Instagram. Reading and writing actually helps develop the higher order regions of the brain!
As a teenager i got a question about this. Firstly I’m so happy I read this master piece i genuinely feel impressed since i’m actually interested in this topic . And here is my question, is there a specific safe period of time for a video or there is any technique that might help preventing brain rot beside screen limits. I’m asking because i as thinking seriously to be a content creator . Despite wanting an educational content at the end it addictive social media . so i want to know if there is any way to help reducing screen time beside limiting the social media activity. I would appreciate a respond even it not scientifically proven
Thank you for your comment, Javean.
On the time question, the research doesn't point to a magic number. What it does suggest is that how you're engaging matters more than how long. The mindful friction approaches in the article are probably the most practical starting point, but beyond those, the reflection angle from the CBT research is worth trying: understanding why you reach for your phone in a particular moment, and what you're actually looking for, tends to work better than just trying to cut back through willpower alone.
Good luck with the content creating!
This is a beautiful piece. How I wish every Gen Z sees this.
Thank you very much for this comprehensive and excellent overview of the current state of this issue.
I strongly agree that the key to the ultimate effect of scrolling on the brain lies in its enormous plasticity. Specifically, I believe that the ultimate effect of “screen addiction” will depend on something we do not yet know: the type of tasks and functions people will have to perform in their lives and at work once AI is being used to its full potential. Will humans be limited to performing simple, mechanical tasks, or will they create “superior” products based on what AI does? Will we devote ourselves to art, human relationships, and science in their most sublime forms? Will we vegetate because we won’t have to work? Whatever happens will shape human brains.
Thank you for this fascinating perspective. The question you're raising is one the research hasn't begun to touch yet. Whether human cognition adapts toward complexity or retreats toward passivity may ultimately depend less on screens themselves and more on what society asks of human minds once AI does all the heavy lifting.
Great article! Points to the limitations to correlational research and the need for longitudinal research that considers the whole person, so as to to study psychoneurosocial dynamics. But, not cost effective for researchers, so fat chance of that happening much. Did some online reading on neurological "rewiring" a while ago. Outcome: Ended up getting advertisments to have my house rewired .
Thank you! Glad those points came through. The house rewiring outcome made me laugh out loud. 😂
Loving the trailer! I would gladly watch that with a sense of nostalgia. For actual brain rot though we have to venture deep into the dark side of YouTube as I call it. Or basically anything on TikTok 😉 which I can proudly say I was never part of. Awareness is key. Once again serving as a true anchor, observing and assessing our habits and triggers because sometimes our brains need a break from the deep thinking.
I read somewhere that ai bots trained on brain rot like content also exhibited signs of cognitive decline.
That's my weekend reading sorted!
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2510.13928
People choosing brain rot on purpose as a form of non conformity. An interesting point. It's like you want to unplug and watch the same mindless sitcom on streaming services. I actually find short clips of low value anxiety inducing. Although I can relate with endless scrolling on LinkedIn or substack just visually consuming without actually engaging mentally as a form of distraction.
The sitcom parallel is a great one. That point comes out in the research, that mindless leisure as a counterweight to productivity pressure is nothing new. We just have a more infinite version of it now.
As a 13 year old Gen Xer in the UK in 1982, I along with everybody my age was obsessed with The Young Ones - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82lma3LV-Fc - nearly every boomer at the time would have said it was brain rot.
Your experience of short clips being anxiety inducing rather than relaxing is an important observation. The decompression function clearly isn't universal.
The LinkedIn and Substack observation is astute too. The mode of consumption matters as much as the content itself, regardless of how intellectually rich the platform is.