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e_hota t1_j5mi8by wrote

It’s definitely not just young people being affected this way.

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heumpje t1_j5pv6uj wrote

Came here to type the same.

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KasukeSadiki t1_j5qg0lj wrote

Took a break from not being able to focus on my work tasks to add my agreement

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zoinkability t1_j5n8gyl wrote

Old people too if I am at all representative

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Lightning-G t1_j5n9n7y wrote

Somewhat related, but a week or two ago I gave a family friend's grandson (about 5 or 6) my phone to play games for a little bit, and seeing him go from energetic to dead silent was a pretty jarring reminder. Not that phone bad, technology bad or anything, but that kids - especially younger children - can get totally absorbed in a phone or games. It's important to help kids and children moderate.

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kaya_planta t1_j5p4tj8 wrote

But when the kids is dead silence reading a book, people are ok with this.

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ewadizzle t1_j5pf6q6 wrote

Reading a book and watching YouTube unboxing toy videos are not the same, most of the time. Not to say that all kids that are obsessed with technology are using technology negatively, just 100% of the ones I observe.

Reading a book is also a different action than viewing media on a device (unless it’s reading a book on a tablet). Using your mind to comprehend a story, words, use your imagination to build an image, build vocabulary, etc. is significantly more beneficial than just staring at information streams, videos, or playing non educational games to some extent.

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UltraHotNeptune t1_j5pmdcm wrote

Depends on the games (even non-educational). I'd rather have my kids playing puzzle games or video games that involve creativity than just watching videos - at least with video games there's more of a chance they'll be thinking logically and building in their minds. It's not nothing.

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CptPope t1_j5py2pz wrote

Totally agree. Passive consumption of video media does not stimulate the brain the way that active participation in any sort of game would. While there are certainly arguments to be made against video games in general (especially the tendency toward addictive behavior) at least video games provide a medium that requires active participation.

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ATownStomp t1_j5pb5q0 wrote

People would be okay with it if they were dead silent reading something constructive on the internet too. That’s just not how it goes down.

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David_bowman_starman t1_j5quc7g wrote

I mean if they started reading the complete works of Shakespeare on a tablet I’m not sure anyone would object, but obviously that’s not the issue here.

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Killerbeetle846 t1_j5q2ml0 wrote

It is not the same at all. The dopamine release of clicking additive cell phones games and scrolling through feeds is vastly different from being engrossed in reading a book.

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AbsoluteZeroUnit t1_j5qd9me wrote

Yes, because being well-read is a positive trait that signifies intelligence.

Being "good at memes" or "really good at scrolling" not so much

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handasa2016 t1_j5q3gvz wrote

the excessive number of grammatical errors makes it hard for me to tell if this was intended as a joke or further proof that reading is better for you than staring at a screen.

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CompromisedCEO t1_j5mzmbl wrote

It's likely not the interaction but rather the constant bombardment of notifications, prompts, incoming flow of information and the like.

You become I won't say addicted but use to, accustomed to high input of information which can cause discomfort when it is taken away.

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ebolaRETURNS t1_j5o8lo1 wrote

I agree: my attention declined with smartphone notifications in a way that it did not with just messageboards or facebook on desktop.

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Simplicityobsessed t1_j5orwh9 wrote

Behavioral addictions exist & are every bit as valid.

My mother growing up was literally addicted to video games. She would be anxious if away from them for too long. When the computer didn’t work she had a melt down.

It’s not the same as a chemical dependence but it’s the same brain structures involved.

I feel like we are heading to societal addiction if we don’t change things now- i always think I’m bad… but then I see friends & everybody is on their phone… dead silent.

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ATownStomp t1_j5pbdsx wrote

If this website is any indicator, you can become addicted to confrontation and outrage. It certainly affects my day-to-day.

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unswsydney OP t1_j5m5yyh wrote

G’day r/science, thanks for having us. A team of our psychology researchers have found the potential for being judged online could be impacting the mood and cognitive function of young people.

Team lead on the study, Dr Susanne Schweizer, said “our research showed that when young people thought that others might be evaluating them, they felt upset and their ability to perform a basic cognitive task was impaired.”

The study was published today in Scientific Reports if you’d like to take a look: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-24932-w

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YardFudge t1_j5m6lu5 wrote

It’s just not kids. 5 decades ish later

  • still type horribly when people watch
  • since r/ came around, much harder to knock out 3 hours un(self)interrupted
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CratersandCream t1_j5n7p10 wrote

Is it more ironic or appropriate to be reading this on reddit?

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PantsOnHead88 t1_j5psit0 wrote

>It is ironic and appropriate to be reading this on Reddit.

Fixed.

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LameJazzHands t1_j5mh2oc wrote

To be filed under “things we already knew.”

Isn’t there a story just about along these lines once per week?

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LeeQuidity t1_j5otw0s wrote

Online interaction is also affecting the ability of young people to formulate complete sentences and express themselves coherently.

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Di20 t1_j5pjamu wrote

Both of my children fully understand the dangers of their online presence and social media both set personal limits for their consumption of this garbage.

However, neither of my parents can say the same thing. They’ll spend an entire retirement day on Facebook thinking that the bogeyman has infiltrated antifa and is trying to replace the vitamins with gay drugs or some nonsense.

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Fly__Eagles__Fly t1_j5qi0sa wrote

Anecdotally I feel like this is the worst for elderly people. My parents and my wife’s parents are tied to their phones to the point it occasionally gets embarrassing. We will invite them over for dinner and constantly have to repeat things because they can’t stay off of their phones.

My teenage niece isn’t nearly as bad. I’m assuming its because she is busier.

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The-Waifu-Collector t1_j5pecsr wrote

Acknowledgement is a helluva drug. We need to be seen for some reason.

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Rough_Idle t1_j5rhxoq wrote

Something I'd like to see studied - whether or not the perceived shortening of attention spans can be in any way attributed to ignoring online ads, like tuning things out until the ad is skippable.

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NelsonianB t1_j5shu4r wrote

*is affecting everyone

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Ayrnas t1_j5patvj wrote

Or young people are moving away from the oppressive work slave mentality.

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JimAsia t1_j5nhqse wrote

If doesn't affect me, affect me, affect me...

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ConsciousLiterature t1_j5oi57j wrote

Older people are addicted to the television and younger people are to their phones.

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Tidusx145 t1_j5p5afr wrote

Five years ago maybe but my tech illiterate mother in law now lives on Facebook. I had to show her how to use Google yesterday to look up an actor, but she gets on and uses Facebook just fine.

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Darkhorseman81 t1_j5nvsbv wrote

Meanwhile, we have hundreds of studies showing chemicals like carpet glue and flame retardants significantly affect attention span.

Meanwhile, everyone tries to blame shift to social media and digital devices.

Harvard department of environmental health tried to warn you for decades.

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reddituser567853 t1_j5o2rex wrote

Weird hill to die on. I'm sure those have an affect, but they are not as pervasive as cell phones

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e_hota t1_j5orsco wrote

Well, there sure seems to be a lot of attention on online gaming and spending time on apps. That’s surely not a lack of attention if all the attention is focused on something that’s quite addictive.

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