Home Australia 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

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

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Respected neuroscientist Professor Andrew Scholey (pictured) says social media addiction is driven by ancient instincts that make us vulnerable to negative information.

Whether our parents lecture us for sitting too close to the TV or our ears ring for listening to music too loud, we’ve known for a long time that our bodies are not designed to cope with the extremes of new technologies.

And last year, the rise of the term “brain rot” was a sign that we had come to terms with another unpleasant side effect of technology: 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, while we are more addicted to our devices than ever.

The problem is becoming so obvious that it has become a hot topic on TikTok itself, the same platform many blame for fueling social media addiction among Generation Alpha (those 15 and under) and Generation Z (between 15 and 28 years old), and users discuss the long-term effects they are noticing.

Some claim they are more easily distracted since developing screen addictions during the 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 arises from a survival instinct ingrained in humans over centuries.

He believes this is also the key to curing him.

Respected neuroscientist Professor Andrew Scholey (pictured) says social media addiction is driven by ancient instincts that make us vulnerable to negative information.

“The problem is that there is an algorithm that dictates what appears in 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 flee from a tiger hiding in a bush than (to remember) where the pretty fruit was, because the former 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 a lot of time on social media, consuming mostly provocative, negative or “anger-bait” content that algorithms tend to prefer, “it can become very overwhelming,” says Professor Scholey.

Professor Scholey points out that it will take time for our brains to heal from brain rot as a result, but emphasizes that it is possible.

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

“Part of it is due to exercise and a good diet, but the rest is also very important,” he explains.

‘There’s a fantastic book by Dr. Claudia Hammond called The Art of Rest that talks about the value of doing recreational activities, things that don’t cause stress.

Oren (pictured with her daughter) began limiting her 10-year-old daughter's screen time after noticing it was having a noticeable effect on her health and behavior.

Oren (pictured with her daughter) began limiting her 10-year-old daughter’s screen time after noticing it was having a noticeable effect on her health and behavior.

‘It’s different for everyone. For some people it’s gardening, for others it’s sports, for others it’s meditation or bathing.

“By doing these things, we help our brain get into a default state network where we daydream and let our mind wander (rather than needing constant stimulation), and there’s evidence that that’s healthy.”

Professor Scholey was encouraged to see brain rot featured as “word of the year” because it showed awareness of screen and social media addiction was growing.

“It’s like mental health awareness has increased in the last five to ten years, which has been really important,” he tells me.

“That will probably start to extend to people being aware of spending too much time on social media and implementing ways to limit their use.”

For those looking to help speed up their brain’s healing process from screen addiction and brain rot, Professor Scholey recommends a series of products he helped develop with drinks and supplements brand Ārepa.

Ārepa products contain Neuroberry, a New Zealand black currant that has been shown to improve mental performance and alertness by supporting neurotransmitters.

“There’s some really interesting research out of New Zealand that identified that the molecule sarmentosin, which is also a compound from the New Zealand blackcurrant, helps dopamine and serotonin,” says Professor Scholey.

The ScreenCoach app uses a reward system to encourage children to

The ScreenCoach app uses a reward system to encourage children to “earn” screen time by doing other, more productive activities.

‘What was really important in that research was the human feeding studies, where people had a cannula placed in their arm and blood was drawn and tested every 10 minutes.

‘He found that people given the equivalent of one or two handfuls of berries began to have elevated levels of dopamine and serotonin within 10 minutes and the effects lasted for four hours.

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

Another company that helps screen addicts, focusing on children, is ScreenCoach.

Oren, 48, a father from Melbourne, started using the app, which rewards users for completing household chores and screen time activities, last year.

ScreenCoach has several features that parents have found to be critical in stopping their children from spending too much screen time. First, limit and schedule the time a child can use the device. But most importantly, it gives kids the chance to earn extra screen time by completing choices, chores, or playing outside, fostering a sense of responsibility and encouraging varied activities.

Many kids who find themselves playing outside with friends to “gain” extra screen time soon realize that the real world is much more interesting and end up losing interest in the iPad altogether, satisfied customers have reported. .

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

‘It’s very problematic. When I was a kid, we would all be in front of the TV and watch things together, but iPads are only for one user,” Oren tells us.

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

‘Before, he did a lot of activities like painting and playing with Lego, but once he had his own screen, he would always prefer to be on it. You could spend up to 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 arguments 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. When we mentioned spending less time looking at the screen, she would get nervous and nervous.

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

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

“Now he uses the iPad for two hours a day and goes back to his hobbies,” says Oren.

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

‘She also knows that she needs to do her work to gain more screen time, so there’s a lot less tension because we’re not limiting her. It’s more organic and she has a routine.’

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

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

‘I mean, I’m very, very conscious of spending time away from him and leaving him, but I check him for everything.

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

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

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

‘Every professional who works with children will tell you about the health impacts of too much screen time. “They are huge,” he says.

‘We know that children do not get enough physical exercise at school. His concentration in school has decreased.

‘Teachers are pulling their hair out because they can’t get kids to focus in school and a lot of it is due to these continuous hits of dopamine from screen time at home.

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

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