‘Brain Rot’ and the Dangers of Excess Social Media

‘Brain Rot’ Oxford University Press’ official word of the year for 2024. The company defined ‘brain rot’ as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.”  Think doom scrolling or endless hours on social media.

Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University and author of the book Generations, told Drew Mariani that Gen Z realizes they’re experiencing brain rot. “They know it’s having this negative effect on them, but they feel like they can’t stop because it’s a social trap,” she said. “They feel like they can’t get away from it.”  That, combined with the power of social media algorithms, makes social media platforms hard to resist.

Science seems to validate the experience of Gen Z users. One study showed the negative impact on the brain of short videos, found frequently on TikTok and Instagram. It found that excessive social media use was linked to “dispositional envy, which drives negative emotions in response to social comparisons.” Those in the study also exhibited heightened brain activity in areas associated with “decision-making, self-referential thinking, and emotional regulation.”

The addictive nature of the short, quick videos can make parenting challenging. “Just talking to kids doesn’t work,” Twenge told Drew, “the algorithms are too powerful.” So, Twenge suggests parents delay cell phone use for kids until they get their driver’s licenses.

Regulating tech usage can also be difficult because tablets, phones, laptops are all over the classroom. Yet, “ test scores are down… particularly in countries that have more lax policies around phones in schools,” Twenge reported.  These policies, Twenge cautions, aren’t “good for learning.”

Regulating cell phone use for kids means that adults need a technology use plan, too. “We have to …have a real reckoning of being more mindful about what exactly we’re doing” Twenge said. One step she encourages for everyone is removing phones from bedrooms at nighttime. When the phone is out of the bedroom, it’s not as much of a temptation, she argues. And if the phone doubles as an alarm, get a physical clock.

 

 

Nick Sentovich serves as a producer for The Drew Marinai Show from 2-5 pm CT. He previously served as the producer for The Inner Life and Father Simon Says. He is also a husband and a father.