How Technology Affects Our Ability to Concentrate

Reading Time: 8 minutes

For many, it is easy to succumb to the temptation of sitting for hours watching reels or TikTok every day instead of working or completing other pending tasks. Paying attention has become the most challenging task of all, but why is that?

According to a study by Dr. Gloria Mark of the University of California, Irvine, the ability to pay attention has declined in recent decades. Dr. Mark explains that, in 2004, the average attention span on any screen was two and a half minutes. By 2012, this had changed to one minute and 15 seconds, and in the last five or six years, the average has been 47 seconds. According to the expert, this is even more alarming when the median is considered, which is 40 seconds, rather than the average. This means that, in the last 20 years, almost two minutes of attention focused on screens have been lost.

This change is not trivial. It is a transformation in how we interact with information and the environment; the product of a digital ecosystem deliberately designed to capture and retain our attention through algorithms that optimize addiction. Every click, every notification, and every “like” is part of a system that stimulates the production of dopamine, a hormone that reinforces addictive behaviors and conditions the brain to seek immediate rewards.

According to data compiled by Domo in 2024, 16,000 videos are uploaded to TikTok every minute of every day, 138.9 million reels are played on Instagram and Facebook, and more than 3 million views are generated on YouTube worldwide. Considering these statistics and how social networks continuously compete for our attention and entrap us, it is easy to see why putting down our cell phones is so difficult.

However, this is no coincidence; engineers work on finding ways to keep us trapped using algorithms that attempt to predict what we want to see. Even Aza Raskin, a former Mozilla employee, says, “it’s like they take behavioral cocaine and spray it all over your interface, and that’s what keeps you coming back. Behind every screen on your phone, there are literally a thousand engineers who have worked to make it as addictive as possible.”

Moreover, the content, designed to be momentary, is problematic. “Many things on social media in short content are designed to shock us or to appeal to fundamental emotions, such as surprise, anger, or humor,” says Dr. Mark. “These base emotions keep us at a superficial level when we analyze information, as opposed to reading a book or a long article, where there is time to reflect and process the content more profoundly,” he added.

The impact on our brains

Continuously checking phones produces small doses of dopamine, which reinforce the behaviors that generate it. Dopamine is the hormone fueling addictions, so whenever social media triggers dopamine, this makes the individual unconsciously want to continue the activity. This type of conditioning creates a condition where merely looking at the cell phone can trigger dopamine release. In addition, by constantly switching from one image, application, or topic to another, the brain becomes accustomed to the rapid changes, which retards its ability to focus on just one thing.

An article in The Weekly Talon explains that the brain is a muscle, so changing the subject becomes a matter of muscle memory. Meanwhile, the dopamine triggered by digital media strengthens the reward system, generating pleasure. The brain remembers this satisfaction and seeks to repeat it. However, after the dopamine spike occurs, then comes the fall into feelings of emptiness, depression, and dissatisfaction, causing the desire to feel happiness again. The sense of emptiness and having to perform monotonous work or tasks make completing these more difficult. The mind will seek whatever distractions to avoid performing these tedious tasks.

Another problem is that people seek to escape boredom and negative emotions. The stress of everyday life and feelings of being overwhelmed can lead to a normal desire for instant gratification and a tendency to avoid the difficulties of daily life.

Too much information also contributes to mental fatigue. According to Dr. Mark, the human brain possesses an executive function that enables it to filter out distractions, make informed decisions, and maintain focus. However, this function is weakened by oversaturation, which causes fatigue, anxiety, and difficulty resuming interrupted tasks.

The researcher has also found evidence that this pattern has physiological consequences. The constant change of tasks is associated with high stress levels, elevated blood pressure, and increased errors in the performance of complex tasks. Far from being a desirable skill, multitasking is an obstacle to sustained productivity.

Specialists in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have reported being inundated by patients who believe they have this condition when, in reality, they do not. ADHD has been on the rise in the United States, and so many publications highlighting the subject have convinced people with attention problems.

While distractions are nothing new, concentration can be affected by various factors, including our sleep patterns, the level of interest we have in our activities, and the inherent anxiety of daily life. Additionally, there are now more distractions than before, thanks to notifications and instant information. According to Mark’s research, in essence, the Internet was created for this. “It’s not just the algorithms that capture our attention,” Mark says. “We have the feeling that we must respond, that we have to check.”
The digital environment exacerbates this situation. The continuous stream of notifications, the ability to jump between tabs and apps, and the addictive designs of platforms like TikTok and Instagram erode the sustained focus needed for deep learning. As Nobel laureate Herbert Simon expressed it, “A large amount of information creates poverty of attention.”

Every time someone surrenders to the temptation to pause what they’re doing to check the phone, the brain must also pause and switch to a new task, negatively affecting its speed and quality of performance in the short term. In the long term, “the more you alternate between tasks, the more you search the brain for something new,” says Adam Brown, Co-director of the Center for Attention, Learning and Memory at St. Bonaventure University in New York. This means that the brain becomes accustomed to constant distractions that become habitual, resulting, for example, in a person being unable to watch a series or movie without checking their cell phone.

Barbara Shinn-Cunningham, Director of the Neuroscience Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, told Time magazine that she is not convinced that people are losing the ability to concentrate. “I’m not sure it’s changing the functioning of our brains,” Shinn-Cunningham says, “but [rather] it’s leveraging its functioning to keep us hooked on our electronic devices.”

The impact of inattention on students

On the other hand, there is a debate about attention and whether students have a finite ability to concentrate. Neil Bradbury, a professor at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Illinois, conducted research on various studies on the subject and found that many use behaviors, such as note-taking or fidgeting, as indicators of how much attention students are paying; however, this type of behavior is not the same as concentrating.

“There’s really no good definition of what attention means, and unless you have a good definition upon which everyone agrees, it’s challenging to measure it, because you do not know what you are measuring,” Bradbury says.

What is true is that many studies have shown that students with shorter attention spans tend to perform worse on exams. First, they struggle to engage deeply with academic content, follow a class, read complex textbooks, or solve challenging problems. Constantly switching platforms or content affects their ability to learn deeply and meaningfully.

The inability to focus not only affects academics but also mental health and the development of cognitive skills essential for autonomous and meaningful learning. Students’ anxiety, depression, and exhaustion increase because of their inability to concentrate. A continuously overstimulated brain becomes difficult to calm and focus on a topic that can be boring.

St. Mary’s Australian School has identified several primary types of attention that people exhibit throughout the day:

Focused attention: The ability to respond discreetly to specific sensory stimuli and focus on a single task or object, eliminating distractions.
Sustained attention: The ability to continuously maintain attention on a task without being distracted.
Selective attention: The ability to focus on a specific stimulus while tuning out irrelevant environmental stimuli.
Alternating attention: The mental flexibility to shift focus back and forth between different tasks or aspects of a task.
Divided attention: The capacity to focus on and respond to multiple stimuli simultaneously, such as driving while talking on the phone.

For the institution, the problem resides in students spending a significant amount of time switching between digital distractions (for example, browser tabs), which causes stress, errors, and slow performance as the brain struggles to reorient and concentrate.

Additionally, teachers are increasingly struggling to capture and maintain their students’ attention. Reports such as those mentioned above indicate that students struggle to maintain focus for more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time. The overload of digital stimuli has shortened attention spans, making traditional teaching methods less effective unless they adapt to these new cognitive patterns. To combat this, the St. Mary’s institution advises educators to take a multifaceted approach:

Engaging information presentation: Using interactive techniques such as storytelling, hands-on activities, and collaborative learning can help keep students actively engaged rather than passive recipients of information.
Bite-sized learning: Microlearning formats such as videos, podcasts, and gamified content can match students’ preferences for short, focused bursts of information. However, this must be balanced with longer-term deep dives to build conceptual understanding.
Identifying triggers: Help students recognize their personal digital distractions and develop strategies to minimize them, such as putting phones away in another room during study time.
Attention management techniques: Teach students attention-boosting skills, like single-tasking, setting clear goals, and taking regular breaks to “aerate” the brain.
Brain breaks: Incorporate regular physical activity, mindfulness practices, and other rejuvenating activities to help students recharge their cognitive resources.

Other practical recommendations to combat a lack of concentration are:

Putting devices away during important tasks: Having the phone in sight, even without using it, decreases concentration. Ideally, it should be removed from the room or turned off completely.
Consciously take breaks: The Pomodoro technique (working for 25 minutes and resting for five) can be helpful, although it should be adapted to personal rhythm. The important thing is to interrupt the work at natural points in the task (for example, at the end of a paragraph or section).
Reduce sleep debt: Since exhaustion directly affects the ability to concentrate, sleeping between 7 and 9 hours a night allows the brain to recharge and consolidate learned information.
Visualize specific goals: Keeping short-term goals in mind, such as finishing a task to enjoy a walk, can increase motivation and persistence.
Avoid multitasking, which increases stress and decreases performance. Instead, work in focused blocks, concentrating your attention on a single activity.
Consume deeper content, such as books, essays, or long documentaries, instead of reels and videos for immediate consumption. This strengthens the brain circuits involved in sustained attention.

At home, parents can contribute in the following ways:

Serve as a model of focused attention.
Set limits on screen time, based on age.
Promote offline hobbies like reading, board games, sports, and nature.
Prioritize adequate sleep, as insufficient rest directly affects attentional performance.
Teach time organization tools such as agendas, timers, or established routines.

If the educational environment does not propose strategies to reverse this trend of addictive distractions, there is a risk of forming generations incapable of sustaining effort, concentration, or profound reflection, which will affect their ability to adapt to future complex contexts.

Faced with this potential panorama, educational institutions must recognize the problem and adopt measures promoting sustained attention development. Additionally, it is essential to teach metacognitive skills related to attention management, including how to avoid multitasking, organize time effectively, set clear goals, and take adequate breaks. Also, promoting the conscious use of technology—for example, by establishing screen-free moments or incorporating mindfulness practices—can help students regain control over their attention and concentration.

Families must also be involved in this task. Limiting screen time, modeling sustained attention behaviors, encouraging reading, and ensuring that the children receive a good night’s rest are essential at-home actions for strengthening attention.

Ultimately, structural changes are necessary. Initiatives such as the “right to disconnect” and developing digitally seamless schedules in schools and workplaces can foster a culture that prioritizes focus, calmness, and deep thinking.

The decrease in attention span is not only an individual problem but also a cultural and social phenomenon stemming from a digital environment that prioritizes speed, information overload, and instant gratification. However, it is possible to reverse this trend if we understand how attention works, adopt self-regulation strategies, and implement structural changes that promote concentration, rest, and deep learning.

Regaining focus is not only possible but also necessary to protect our mental health, productivity, and connection to the world around us.

Translation by: Daniel Wetta