Expert Warns: Gadgets Are Shrinking Our Brains and Hurting Attention Spans

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) — During their monthly board meeting on Wednesday morning, the Kansas Department of Education hosted a presentation from a consultant at Attention Matters. They discussed how gadgets with screens can lead to shallower thinking and more disjointed thought processes overall.

“What this implies is that we struggle to reach conclusions, and finding it difficult to concentrate solely on a single idea makes our attention spans progressively diminish,” stated Susan Dunaway, the consultant from Attention Matters who previously served as a therapist.

The problem with devices can worsen for younger students, who often face additional challenges too.

The younger a child starts using a device, the quicker they become overwhelmed, leading to behavioral problems. Additionally, this prevents them from engaging in activities such as making eye contact, developing communication abilities, and simply tolerating boredom.

Dunaway suggests that reading doesn't provide the same level of mental engagement when done on a screen.

Reading from screens essentially involves superficial mental processing, which affects memory, comprehension, language, and creativity. Creativity forms the foundation of future problem-solving abilities, and language development influences our perception of the world.

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Dunaway thinks there should not be gadgets in elementary schools, and only restricted computer usage for middle school students.

In high school, students should have access to computers consistently rather than intermittently, as well as engage in some courses without them to hone fundamental abilities. Additionally, it’s crucial for them to learn how technology impacts their brain function since this aspect isn't covered in their curriculum.

Dunaway feels that technology should be restricted in educational settings, but she doesn’t support removing these resources from instruction completely. She acknowledges their utility for illustrating ideas visually, including something like the Pythagorean theorem.