Do you know what the average attention span of a human being is? Surprisingly, itis less than that of a goldfish. Human attention spanhasbeen decreased over the years.Human Attention Span Statistics and Facts, 2024, shows the average human attention span was twelve seconds in 2000, now it is only 8.25 seconds, whereas it is 9 seconds for a goldfish.It is an alarming situation for a nation. A shorter attention span reduces the productivity and ability of human beings to work efficiently and effectively.

In this context one vulnerable group is children. Their attention span has also decreased over the years. In a study, children had an average attention span of 29.61 seconds, experiencing an attention span decline of -27.41% as the time went by the Continuous Performance Test.  Furthermore, the National Institute of Health has conducted a study and reported that teenagers who spend over 2 hours daily on their screens receive lower test scores.A survey conducted among Primary school teachers in London reported that children’s attention span was shorter than ever.Countless factors affect the attention span of children, one major factor is the use of social media.

Social mediacontributes to the extensive stunting of children’s attention spans. Dr. Michael Manos, a pediatric psychologist in America, says scrolling for hours on social media can hurt children’s attention span. Children are now spending more time on social media than ever. During COVID-19, many schools hand out smartphones to students under the guise of online classes. Since then, schools also created groups with students to send notices. Students also created many groups among themselves and are using social media randomly. Nowadays, it is an ever-evolving digital platform that ushers people engaged in massive online communities.

Digital platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, have emerged with unique features. In this platform, the prevalence of bite-sized content of videos, reels, and fleeting stories encourages the brevity and instant gratification of the children. These quick and easily digestible contents prevailing in social media have programmed human brains to crave instant stimulation. The endless scrolling system of these platformskeeps users engaged as long as possible with addictive features like an infinite news feed; auto-play videos; and a bombardment of information. Thus, children cannot go without succumbing to the allure of getting lost in the scrolling abyss of social media. Fear of missing out on exciting events drives children to check their social media feeds.

Children often multitask such asdoing homework, checking messages, or taking social media breaks at a time;as such,children spend much more time on the task than usual. Experts say multitasking taxes the human brain; makes it more distractible; and is prone to errors. It also hurts productivity. The National Library of Medicine reported that media multitasking has been linked to worse attentional control, greater distractibility, or attention lapses. Screens contribute to loss of focus as they overstimulate the mind. Dr Roberto Olivardia, a clinical psychologist at Harvard Medical School says that the brain is getting such a high reward, leading to the craving for more instant gratification. Once, something comes across that we like, we return to the screens that bring us higher enjoyment.

The implications of decreased attention spanin children are far-reaching. Different studies show that the immediate implicationsare: children face difficulty focusing on tasks; make mistakes in their home homework frequently; encounter difficulties in reading long content or texts; get bored withactivitiesquickly and complete tasks partially; face challenges concentrating during social interactions and difficulty communicating with others; face difficulties in managing time; face challenges in organizing materials; and being late or forgotten appointments.These are the stunting of the way of the learning process of children which have extensive implications for a nation.

Children of today are the leaders of tomorrow. Childhood is the brighter time when children get ready for the future. Thus, we must teach and guide them well. Children have the power to change the world. In a speech,Symore Simon, a children’s book writer in America, said thatknowledge empowers people with our most powerful tools: the ability to think and decide. No power for change is greater than children discovering what they care about.

Children’s attention spans need to be improved. Thus, children must maintain theirnatural sleep cycle; exercise; take regular screen breaks; listenmindfully to music; meditate, and spend time with nature. In addition, we must involve children in activitiesthat need full attention and focus; such as reading books,engaging in hobbies, hiking, biking, swimming, and social activities. These activities require constant focusto strengthen their attention span.

BIO

Dr Mohammad Monirul Islam, Assistant Professor of Economics, Nangarpur Government College, Tangail. Mobile- +880 1711781720, email- [email protected]