Digital Dementia

Compared to the fifteenth century, we now consume as much data in a single day as an average person from the 1400s would have in an entire lifetime.

 

Defining Digital Dementia

While dementia is a disease that typically plagues the elderly, a new type of cognitive condition is affecting younger individuals in their early 20s and teens – a disorder known as “digital dementia.” According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the overuse of digital devices can lead to insufficient sleep in children, delays in learning and social skills, as well as obesity and behavior problems. All this digital information, coming from our computers, smartphones, tablets, and more, has been found to cause a breakdown in cognitive abilities in a way that is traditionally associated with people who have suffered a head injury or psychiatric illness.

Digital dementia is characterized as the deterioration of brain function as a result of the overuse of digital technology, such as computers, smart phones and Internet use in general, Medical Daily reported. This excess use of technology leads to unbalanced brain development, as heavy users are more likely to overdevelop their left brains, leaving their right brains underdeveloped. The left side of thebrain is generally associated with rational thought, numerical computation and fact finding, while the right side of the brain is responsible for more creative skills and emotional thought. If the right brain remains under developed in the long term, it can lead to the early onset of dementia.

At alarming rates, kids raised in the digital age are developing cognitive problems and attention issues and struggling with memory, organization, reasoning, problem-solving, and in-person social communication.

Technology use is unavoidable, since it’s increasingly employed in classrooms, but it’s never too early to teach the next generation how to use it wisely. Here are some suggestions from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Spitzer, and other sources.

• Use print media rather than tablets or smartphones for reading to give your child a break from looking at screens. Studies have shown that reading print materials also boosts reading comprehension.
• Practice memorizing things like phone numbers and passwords instead of simply letting technology track them.
• Use puzzles and games, such as chess and Scrabble, that promote real-time problem-solving rather than games that let the computer do the thinking.
• Make sure the entertainment your child is watching is high quality.
• Set screen-time limits.
• Create screen-free zones where no digital technology is allowed — like the dinner table and your child’s bedroom.
• Limit media multitasking — using two or more types of media simultaneously such as listening to a CD while doing homework.
• Turn off the television if no one is watching it since background television can disrupt the quantity and quality of personal interaction.
• Watch media — such as television programs and films — with your child and discuss it afterward to develop critical thinking about media.
• Ensure your child gets enough outdoor play and physical exercise.
• Allow for unstructured playtime, which is critical for learning problem-solving skills and fostering creativity.
• Develop creativity by offering your child musical instruments, art supplies, origami, or physical toys that spark their imagination.
• Encourage your child to develop hobbies that aren’t related to digital media — such as stamp collecting, bird watching, skateboarding, acting, dancing, writing, and jewelry making.

Signs of Digital Dementia:

Developmental delays

Inability to remember number patterns or directions

Social seclusion

Lack of motivation