By Teresa Huang
You may have heard of dementia – a neurodegenerative condition associated with the decline of memory, language and behaviour, most commonly affecting those aged 65 and above. Yet, there are growing concerns that similar cognitive issues are beginning to emerge in Gen Z, likely linked to our increasing dependence on social media and doomscrolling.
Throughout modern history, all generations have outperformed their parents in school, until now. Earlier this year, neuroscientist Dr Jared Cooney Horvath, told a US Senate Committee that Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2010) is less cognitively capable than previous generations. He says they have underperformed “on basically every cognitive measure we have, from basic attention, to memory, to literacy, to numeracy, to executive functioning, to even general IQ”.
“Our kids are less cognitively capable than we were at their age since we’ve been standardising and measuring cognitive development since the late 1800s,” says Dr Horvath.
Despite being equipped with more advanced technologies and schooling resources than ever before, it’s apparent that intelligence levels are backtracking alarmingly. So, why is this happening? The culprit may be your phones.
With the hype surrounding social media and short form content available at the tips of our fingers, it has never been easier to spend hours consuming brief, repetitive content with minimal engagement.
Not only are attention spans worsening, but constant exposure to ‘brain rot’ is in fact physically changing our brains, shrinking grey matter – a crucial component of the brain, responsible for thinking, memory and movement. Without it, your capacity to process information will decline.
Recent scientific evidence from cognitive neuroscientist Professor Mark Williams at Macquarie University, suggests that the shrinking of the teenager brain due to electronic device use is similar to that of elderly dementia patients. He calls it ‘digital dementia’.
Before this becomes an even more widespread issue for our generation, perhaps it is worth considering whether scrolling is truly worth the long-term impact on our health. While the digital world is undeniably enticing, with its vibrant visuals and constant stream of content, it’s important to remember that life extends far beyond a phone screen!
