11/25/2025
Food for thought - and it unfortunately ties into digital dementia quite well.
đš A major new scientific review has confirmed what many of us already feel: the endless stream of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts is quietly eroding core cognitive abilities.
After screening hundreds of studies published in 2023â2024 and retaining the 35 most rigorous, researchers concluded that prolonged daily exposure to ultra-short video content is associated with significant declines in sustained attention, working memory, and executive functionâa pattern now described in the literature as âbrain rot.â
Among adolescents and young adults, average daily screen time exceeds 6.5 hours, with the majority consumed in clips lasting under one minute.
Neuroimaging reveals reduced activity in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortexâthe very regions responsible for memory consolidation, planning, and impulse control.
Strikingly, these changes mirror early markers of cognitive aging, despite occurring in individuals still in their teens and twenties.
The platformsâ power lies in their design: rapid cuts, variable-ratio reward schedules, and algorithmic feeds that demand almost no cognitive effort while delivering constant stimulation.
Over time, the brain adapts to this environment and begins to treat depth, reflection, and even mild boredom as intolerable.
The effects are reversible.
Meaningful reduction in passive short-form consumption, combined with deliberate re-engagement with longer-form content and offline pursuits, can restore attentional control and mental clarity within weeks.
Attention is the foundation of every higher human capacity. In an era engineered to fragment it, protecting and rebuilding yours is no longer optionalâŠit is one of the most consequential choices you will ever make.
đ https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/study-tiktok-instagram-and-youtube