BERKELEY, Cal. (WZMQ) – For many families around the country, it’s time for back-to-school. It’s a time for kids to refocus on their studies; However, schoolchildren today face an ever-increasing number of distractions. The start of the school year is always exciting, but getting focused and back into a routine can be a challenge-one not just limited to school-age children. Research shows, on average, our attention spans are shrinking.
“When we talk about attention spans, we’re talking about sustained attention, which means the ability to focus on one thing”. Dr. Gloria Mark studies people’s attention and behavior with digital devices. What she’s found is pretty alarming.
“Our first studies were in 2003, and we found that attention spans averaged two and a half minutes on screens, and in 2012 we found that attention spans went down to an average of 75 seconds, and then starting in 2014, we found that attention spans went down to an average of 47 seconds”.
Mark says the prevalence of smartphones and the accessibility we now have at our fingertips is to blame for our shortening attention spans. “It’s like being in the world’s largest candy store”.
With attention on the decline and distractions all around us, the impacts are being felt in the classroom and in the workplace. “Offloading our memories to our devices, as well as just spending less time focusing on any one thing, is making it hard for people to learn”. Mark believes that in an increasingly digital world, our attention span should be protected because our experiences are formed based on what we pay attention to. “If kids pay attention to screens, that’s forming the kind of person they will become”.
