Is Social Media Shortening Children’s Attention Spans?

Article by CAPS social work student Trung Pham

Parents may not be surprised to hear about social media issues regarding cyberbullying or internet addiction, but perhaps a less widely-known concern of social media use is its impact on children’s attention spans.

Even for adults, social media has changed the way we think and operate. The quantity of daily information that we are receiving through the internet is stunning. In fact, we now have to process five times as much information every day as we did in the 1980’s. Sadly, this is having a negative impact on our attention spans, that is, the amount of time one is able to focus on a task before becoming distracted.

The continual stimulation from social media content causes our brains to adapt to the fast-paced flow of information. In other words, TikTok and other social networks, particularly those that provide content of 60 seconds or less, have negatively changed users’ ability to focus for long periods of time. Having higher distractibility can have drastic effects, including a lack of social skills and poor academic performance.

If the impacts are so severe for adults, what does this mean for children? When children use social media applications, their brains get a boost of dopamine each time they watch a video. Children become hooked watching videos repeatedly to cause that dopamine boost. They subsequently pay less attention to their surroundings and have less of an interest in social attachments or family activities. This negatively impacts children’s short and long-term memory, which are crucial for their learning and development.

So, what can parents do? Stories are a great way to improve children’s attention capacity. Encouraging children to focus on a story, either through reading or being read to, is a great means of opening a new world for children, while encouraging them to engage in something offline and helping them develop the habit of reading.

Another great option is to facilitate offline family activities, such as family game nights. Parents may underestimate the benefit of playing simple card games like Uno, yet these activities actually improve short-term memory and focus. You can also play visual memory games with your children, such as I Spy or spot the difference. Visual memory skills have been scientifically proven to strengthen children’s problem-solving abilities, and improve their working memory.

There is no doubt that social media and online games can provide fun and entertainment, but it is important for parents to have a mindful approach to the amount of time their kids spend on social media and incorporate other offline activities into their children’s daily lives.