Is 'brain rot' real? Experts weigh on on the impact of excessive screen time on our brains

Doomscrolling. Instagram obsessions. Mindless YouTube video viewing. Distracting behaviours, yes, but tin they really rot a person's brain?

Last year, Oxford University Press designated "brain rot" arsenic its connection of nan year, defining it arsenic nan "supposed deterioration of a person's intelligence aliases intelligence state" caused by overconsuming "trivial aliases unchallenging" worldly recovered connected societal media and different online platforms.

"It's what happens erstwhile you devour excessively overmuch low-quality online content, which is for illustration junk nutrient for nan brain," said Dr Andreana Benitez, an subordinate professor successful nan Department of Neurology astatine nan Medical University of South Carolina successful nan United States.

But whether that contented is really harming nan encephalon – and really – remains unclear.

Screen habits tin style health

According to nan US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), half of teenagers successful nan US walk 4 hours aliases much looking astatine screens each day, and world estimates propose adults whitethorn beryllium online an mean of much than six hours per day.

There are nary national wellness guidelines for really galore hours of daily surface time are due for teens aliases adults.

Researchers deficiency capable information to afloat understand nan conception of encephalon rot and what it mightiness lead to.

"There really isn't a coherent subject astir it," Benitez said.

There is, however, CDC information showing that 1 successful 4 teenage predominant scrollers study emotion anxious aliases depressed.

Some investigation suggests problems pinch dense online usage whitethorn statesman rather young. Adolescents who walk greater amounts of clip successful beforehand of screens whitethorn beryllium much apt to acquisition intelligence wellness issues, including depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder, and related beingness symptoms specified arsenic pain, dizziness, aliases nausea.

That's according to a 2024 study of information from nan Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, nan largest semipermanent kid encephalon improvement study successful nan US.

Other studies person perchance linked encephalon rot to affectional desensitization, cognitive overload, antagonistic self-worth, and impaired executive usability skills, including memory, planning, and decision-making.

Rethinking our integer diet

While there's nary grounds that hours of regular surface clip are changing nan building of nan quality brain, it's what's not happening during those hours that could beryllium harmful, particularly for young group whose brains are still developing, said Dr Costantino Iadecola, head and chair of Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute astatine Weill Cornell Medical Center successful New York City.

The much clip young group walk successful beforehand of screens, nan little clip they walk being physically progressive aliases having face-to-face quality interactions that proviso nan processing encephalon pinch critical, analyzable sensory and affectional input, he said.

"Brain improvement requires diverseness of exposures," Iadecola said.

"When you are connected your phone, you are not getting these different experiences. We are substituting artificial interactions for quality interactions, and artificial interactions deficiency nan complexity of nan quality acquisition – nan verbal, sensory, and affectional reactions we person aft interacting pinch people".

It's not conscionable surface clip that matters – it's besides surface content, Benitez said.

"If you devour excessive amounts of low-quality online content, you are much apt to beryllium exposed to accusation that mightiness distort your cognition of reality and harm your intelligence health," she said.

Cycling done ample amounts of antagonistic contented tin besides time off a personification mentally exhausted, she said.

But really overmuch is excessively overmuch has yet to beryllium determined, Benitez said. Sticking to her junk nutrient analogy, she likened short periods of surface clip to nan occasional junk nutrient snack.

"One container of chips mightiness not beryllium that bad, but if you're eating 3 astatine a time, that mightiness beryllium a problem," she said.

How to person smarter surface time

Helping kids – and adults – devour a healthier online fare isn't easy, Benitez said, because truthful overmuch of modern life, from schoolwork to shopping, entertainment, and socializing, involves online applications.

"With kids, screens are a portion of their lives," she said. "It's really they get a batch of information".

But, she said, "it's incumbent upon adults to curate nan content, make judge they are consuming contented that's bully for them and successful a measurement that does not consequence successful intelligence fatigue. We request to make judge they are engaging successful captious reasoning arsenic they prosecute pinch screens".

For some children and grown-ups, Benitez besides cautioned against scrolling earlier bedtime.

"Consuming arousing accusation and being exposed to ray erstwhile your assemblage should beryllium winding down for slumber mightiness impact your sleep," she said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests families create screen-time plans together and promote usage that builds productivity and connections pinch family and friends.

It besides suggests parents emphasise nan value of offline activities specified arsenic sports, music, art, and different hobbies.

The AAP besides notes that immoderate surface usage whitethorn beryllium "healthy and positive," a constituent some Benitez and Iadecola agreed with.

"You could beryllium consuming bully content," Benitez said. "There's a worth judgement successful this".

Iadecola suggested making judge online usage is "purpose-appropriate. It's OK to usage nan exertion for immoderate task is astatine hand. The problem is erstwhile it becomes addictive behavior. Everything successful moderation".