Our future attention span

Recently, I came across a video from a teacher in a public school who was concerned about the deterioration of children's attention span. She said and I quote "the kids have no ability to be bored whatsoever, they live on their phones and they're just fed a constant stream of dopamine from the minute their eyes wake up in the morning until they go to sleep at night". This isn't new! Dopamine overload seems to be the re-occurring issue amongst those in public education.

Before we take a dive into the link between dopamine and its effects on the attention span of children, let's look at the scientific background of this molecule...

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that works in the brain, particularly between nerve connections. The functions of dopamine in the brain are still being researched to this day as it is involved in a multitude of processes that affect our cognition. One of the key roles that dopamine plays is in sustaining attention over prolonged periods of time. This is needed for the completion of tasks, such as reading long stretches of text that require the integration of the learned information to update knowledge in memory.

A study was done in 2021 to investigate 'The effects of increased dopamine-levels on attentional control during reading and reading comprehension. (Swart, E.K., Sikkema-de Jong, M.T.) Curr Psychol 42, 11009–11025 (2023).' (click on the link to read the full article)

The study found that increased dopamine levels, induced by the administration of levodopa (a synthetic equivalent to dopamine), had a negative effect on reading comprehension. Specifically, the participants who were given levodopa, compared to those who received a placebo, showed a decline in their ability to accurately recall and comprehend the material they had read. This was measured through tests which assessed the participants' understanding of the text. The negative effect was consistent across the group, suggesting that higher dopamine levels may impair the cognitive processes required for integrating and retaining information from reading.

In the developing brains of children, dopamine contributes to the regulation of attention and motivation. However, when in excess because of prolonged exposure to digital devices or constant technological stimulation, it can lead to the dysregulation of their dopamine pathways. This dysregulation has been associated with negative outcomes, including decreased sensitivity to rewards and potential difficulties in sustaining attention. The constant dopamine alters the chemistry of the mind from a young age such that simple things, aeon activities or mentally stimulating tasks are viewed as a burden. Children are unable to pay attention in a standard 1 hour class in school or finish a book series within term time because after 10 minutes, they have lost interest and no longer care about the impending discoveries that education can provide them. They have no ability to be "bored" and I say that with quotations because joy can really be found in every little thing.

Maybe you haven't worked in a school before or been around children for long periods of time, but even we as adults have felt and can identify with this issue of reduced attention spans. The rise of social media's rapid videos, ads and content affect us in ways that are, for the most part, subconscious. These surges of dopamine that we are constantly exposed to will have long lasting effects on our attention spans and comprehension. Bear in mind, this even affects those of us who did not grow up on screens, tablets and computers.

I can remember growing up and the only screens I had for the majority of my childhood were a 28" LG TV and 1 white box-shaped Dell computer. I remember having to go to the school library to borrow books (no online PDFs or audiobooks) and using physical notebooks in classes (no iPad or electronic notes). I used to be so excited for the 'scholastic bookfairs' that I would count the change my parents gave me and hope to God that I had enough for a few of Jacqueline Wilson's books. Psst...I had no calculators so I had to actually use my brain for math.

However, our children are missing out on this. It looks like our children, by default, will be raised in a technologically-advanced, dopamine-infused environment. Can you imagine the long term effects it will have on them? I can. I foresee a world where everything has to be fast-paced, in order to be considered important or fun. I see a world where people no longer enjoy nature or each other's company. I imagine a world where there is fake solitude, people who are alone but live in an imaginary world online. Have you seen Wall-E...?

It's one thing to unravel the problem but it's another thing to find solutions.

So what can we do about this situation? What will change the course for our children? How can we help our future attention span?

Let me know your thoughts below...