Finally, a cure for screen addiction that’s turning our teens into the basket case generation: Respected neuroscientist’s solution offers hope for despairing parents

Whether it was our parents’ lesson about sitting too close to the TV, or being left with ringing in our ears from listening to music too loudly – we have long known that our bodies are not designed to cope with the extremes of life. new technology to deal with.

And last year, the rise of the term “brain rot” was a sign that we’ve come to terms with another nasty tech side effect: screens are making us stupid.

More and more of us are feeling the negative effects of being constantly bombarded with short bursts of information from platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, as we become more addicted to our devices than ever before.

The problem is becoming so apparent that it has become a hot topic on TikTok itself, the platform that many blame for fueling social media addiction among Gen Alpha (those 15 and under) and Gen Z (ages 15 to 28 years), with users discussing the long-term effects they notice.

Some claim they are more easily distracted since developing screen addictions during the mind-numbing Covid 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 have become dumber.

Respected neuroscientist Professor Andrew Scholey tells 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 curing it.

“The problem is that there is an algorithm that determines what appears on your feed, and humans have evolved in such a way that negative information is more salient,” he says.

‘It was more important to remember to run from a tiger hiding in a bush than [to remember] where the beautiful fruit was, because the first one has more to do with survival.

‘There is a lot of research that shows that negative things attract much more attention than positive ones.

That’s why when we spend any time on social media – usually consuming provocative, negative or “rage bait” content favored by algorithms – “it can become very overwhelming,” says Prof. Scholey.

Professor Scholey notes that it will therefore take some time for our brains to heal from brain rot, but emphasizes that this is possible.

He believes the best treatment for brain rot is very similar to that of brain fog, in which increased stress on the brain causes a decrease in function.

“Some of that comes from exercise and a good diet, but the rest is so important too,” he explains.

“There’s a fantastic book by Dr. Claudia Hammond called The Art of Rest, which talks about the value of recreation, about things that don’t cause stress.

‘It’s different for everyone. For some people it’s gardening, for some people it’s exercising, for others it’s meditating or taking a bath.

‘By doing these things we help our brains get into a default network where we daydream and let our minds wander [as opposed to needing constant stimulation]and there is evidence that it is healthy.”

Professor Scholey was encouraged to see brain rot listed as ‘word of the year’ as it showed growing awareness of screen and social media addiction.

“It seems like mental health awareness has grown over the last five to 10 years, which has been really important,” he tells me.

“That will likely lead to people becoming aware that they are spending too much time on social media and prompting people to implement ways to limit their use.”

For those who want to help speed up the process of healing their brains from screen addiction and brain rot, Professor Scholey recommends a range of products he helped develop with drinks and supplement brand Ārepa.

Ārepa products contain the Neuroberry, a blackcurrant from New Zealand that has been proven to improve mental performance and alertness by supporting neurotransmitters.

‘There’s some really exciting research from New Zealand showing that the molecule Sarmentosine – which is also a compound in the New Zealand blackcurrant – helps dopamine and serotonin,” says Prof Scholey.

‘What was really important in that research were the nutritional studies in humans – where people had a cannula in their arm and had blood drawn and analyzed every 10 minutes.

‘It turned out that people given the equivalent of a handful or two of berries experienced increased levels of dopamine and serotonin within ten minutes, with the effect lasting four hours.

“That was just one dose, the same dose we use in Ārepa.”

Another company that helps screen addicts, with an emphasis on children, is ScreenCoach.

Melbourne dad Oren, 48, started using the app last year, which rewards users for doing chores and activities that involve screen time.

ScreenCoach has several features that parents have found to be instrumental in helping their children avoid excessive screen time. First, it limits and schedules the time a child can use the device. But more importantly, it gives children the opportunity to earn extra screen time through making choices, doing homework or playing outside, which promotes a sense of responsibility and encourages varied activities.

Many children who play outside with friends to “earn” extra screen time quickly realize that the real world is much more interesting and eventually lose interest in the iPad altogether, according to satisfied customers.

Oren and his wife had given their 10-year-old daughter an iPad just two years earlier, but were already noticing its negative effects on her health and behavior, and some days they found her glued to the device from the moment she came home from school when she went to bed.

‘It’s very problematic. When I was a kid, we all sat around the TV and watched things together, but iPads are only for one user,” Oren says.

“She mainly plays Roblox. It is a platform with many games and other players can create their own games, so it is endless and very addictive.

‘She used to do a lot of activities, like painting and playing with Lego, but once she had her own screen, she always wanted to be on it. She could spend five hours a day on it.’

The iPad quickly became a source of tension for the young family, who moved to Australia from Israel in 2019.

“There were a lot of fights because we didn’t like her being on the iPad so much,” Oren says.

“If we tried to take it away, she would cry and get stressed. If we told her to spend less time looking at the screen, she would become nervous and tense.

‘It was sad for us because we bought it with good intentions. She loves to read, so we thought she could use it to read.”

But since using the ScreenCoach app, Oren has noticed a dramatic change in his daughter’s behavior.

“Now she uses the iPad two hours a day and does her hobbies again,” says Oren.

‘She paints, she loves art and does her piano exercises.

“She also knows she has to do her work to earn more screen time, so there’s a lot less tension because we’re not restricting her.” It’s more organic and she has a routine.’

The masterminds behind ScreenCoach, psychologist Steph Kakris and her tech whiz husband Peter, tell me they don’t just use it for their kids; they also use it themselves.

“I’m completely addicted to my phone,” says Peter.

“I mean, I’m very careful not to spend time on it and put it aside, but I check on everything.

‘If I want to see the weather, check my calendar, check something – the first thing I do is pick up my phone.

‘We have become so attached to them. We hear so often that ScreenCoach helps children and people will ask, “Does it help parents too?” because we all have the same problem.’

Steph adds that the problem is widespread and well documented among psychologists.

‘Any professional who works with children will tell you the health consequences of too much screen time. They are huge,” she says.

‘We know that children do not get enough exercise at school. Their focus on school has diminished.

‘Teachers are tearing their hair out because they can’t get the kids to concentrate at school, and a lot of that is due to the constant dopamine hits of screen time at home.

‘The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne conducted a survey asking parents about their concerns about their children’s health, and social media is number one.’