Pay Attention to Your Attention

CLASH. Freshman Andy Nunez Palma playing the popular game, Clash Royale. Recently, studies have shown that extended consumption of short form content and brain rot can cause a decrease of attention spans. Photo courtesy of Carter Harmon. 

Maybe you can't pay attention in school this year. You try to, but it only lasts a few seconds before you zone out. It's not that big of a deal, right? Wrong. Your attention span is shrinking, and you presumably didn’t even notice.

If you are on the internet, you’ve almost definitely seen some form of short form content, Tiktok, Shorts, Reels, and more. Time spent scrolling can feel gratifying, and their short length lets you watch tons of content at a time. From AI generated fruit, to people ranting about their lives or jobs, almost no thought goes into scrolling. Like muscles, the brain needs exercise to function properly.

According to the National Institute of Health, “short-form video addiction not only directly impacted academic procrastination but also placed an indirect effect on academic procrastination through attentional control.” This demonstrates the effect on academics, one of the key parts of a teens life, and future. 

The Oxford Dictionary defines addiction as “physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance, and unable to stop taking it without incurring adverse effects.” In the case of short form content addiction, an effect is a decreased attention span. Having issues paying attention can make a student miss out on important information during class, extracurriculars, and at home. Additionally, People prone to attention issues have struggled with memory problems as well.. 

“I would say that…there is definitely an increase in students who can't pay attention.” Ms. Miller, an advanced algebra teacher at VHS said.

Short form content is only one cause of many. According to an article by Post University, a four year college in Waterbury Connecticut, ADHD, OCD, trauma, traumatic brain injuries, depression and certain medication can all be causes of attention issues, showing this is not a one cause problem, or solution. Other than getting treatment, or therapy, for other conditions causing a shorter attention span, limiting consumption of short form content and screens in general can improve attention span. This is not just affecting teens and adults, younger kids are being raised with ipads and phones.

“I'm the oldest cousin, so I see my youngest cousins needing stimulation every second of the day. Kids need to learn how to be bored sometimes.” Stated freshman Josie Lacher.

The worst kind of short form content? Brain rot, a form of media that is “low brow” and poor quality, typically AI generated images with gibberish names. This kind of media not only decreases attention span, but it can also impair emotional functioning, cause overwhelm and even cause depression and anxiety.

According to an article in the National Institute of Health, “The findings reveal that brain rot leads to emotional desensitization, cognitive overload, and a negative self-concept. It is associated with negative behaviors, such as doomscrolling, zombie scrolling, and social media addiction, all linked to psychological distress, anxiety, and depression.” 

Brain rot can be addictive, but do you ever think about why it's funny? It's funny because we think other people think it's funny. If you hear one person laughing at something like “6-7” , a previously very popular brain rot term originating from a song by Skrilla, you want to make someone laugh so you repeat it, it's so short and meaningless it trains our brains to work with nothing, affecting the attention span. Eventually, the original context goes away and is replaced with thoughtless repetition, and this stuff spreads like a wildfire, reducing the attention spans of more and more young adults. 

Decline in attention spans has started to affect teens outside school, with a decline in consuming traditional media like books, plays and even movies. According to The New York Times “From 2003 to 2023, the share of Americans who read for pleasure fell 40 percent, a sharp decline that is part of a continuing downward trend.” Reading is great for building vocabulary and imagination, both of which are important in academic settings. 

All in all, there are a lot of reasons for attention issues, but the one we have the most control over is short form content consumption and brain rot spread both online and verbally. So next time you find yourself mindlessly scrolling or repeating brain rot, pause to think, is it worth it?