I often find myself pressing down on the left side of my phone screen when I’m on TikTok, playing the 30-second video at twice the speed. 

When I sit down at my desk to watch a movie or play a video game, I easily get bored and pull out my phone or iPad to simultaneously watch something else. Whenever I try to study, I find myself uninterested very easily and switching tabs to YouTube shorts.

Does this behavior sound familiar? Many people today, especially teenagers, have had decreasing attention spans. Not being able to focus on a 30-second video may be funny to joke about right now, but it is truly dangerous. 

Many teenagers are tired of adults in their lives nagging them about screens claiming that they are dangerous. But how could we ever let go of screens? The average teenager spends six hours and 40 minutes on screens per day. The fact that mostly teens and not other age groups are most affected by decreasing attention spans is not coincidental.

With a plethora of content that lasts seconds on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube shorts and Instagram reels, we are slowly growing accustomed to short and speedy content. More often than not, those who consume mostly shorts content grow impatient when it comes to focusing on one thing for a longer period of time. 

When I click on a full length YouTube video I find myself searching for a different one just 30 seconds in. Eventually, I just switch to shorts and doom scroll.

Teens may find it harder to pay attention in class and focus on tasks that require long periods of focus such as studying, listening to lectures or completing tasks and assignments. 

With most of our education, work, communication and entertainment being on screens, it is not possible to avoid them entirely. However, there are ways to avoid distractions in order to become refocused. 

Getting down to work can be challenging at times. Many teens often find themselves endlessly scrolling through social media instead of working. Thoughts like “I’ll start working in like 10 minutes” or ”Just one more TikTok, it’s only 15 seconds long” often frequent the minds of teenagers. 

However, before they know it, hours pass. I’m speaking from experience about this scenario. Sometimes, even though I have so much work, I find myself not being able to close TikTok, and I know I’m not the only one. 

One solution to this is to put your phone away. Put it somewhere you know you won’t go. Give it to your parents or sibling, shut it off, put it in a different room or whatever you need to do to get it out of sight, out of mind.

You will start to find that even when you want to scroll through social media instead of studying, you won’t be able to because your phone is not within reach.

How you spend your free time plays a crucial part in your attention span. During even a second of free time, you might want to reach into your pocket to watch TikToks or scroll through Instagram reels. 

But if the majority of your free time is spent on reels and other short content, your attention span can likely decline. Instead, play a board game, read a book, meet up with a friend, go to a coffee shop or take a walk. Do something that actually takes focus or commitment rather than scrolling continuously. This simple change while spending your free time will not only build patience and increase your attention span, but can also make you happier.

Refocusing can be simpler than one might think. One way is by setting screen time restrictions. If your phone does not have this feature, then there are many apps such as Offtime, Bark and AppDetox that allow setting screen time restrictions. Blocking TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat while working is an easy way to avoid getting distracted.

Although social media is a driving force in declining attention spans in younger people, in the end it is up to us on whether we get affected or not. It is very crucial as young adults to build focus and attention spans, and we can do this with a bit of commitment and self-control.

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