Andrew Przybylski, a professor of human behavior and technology at the University of Oxford, is a very busy man. By noon, he has already had several meetings via “Skype, Teams, in-person, and now FaceTime Audio”. He seems to be able to switch seamlessly between these platforms without showing any signs of cognitive impairment.

 

“The deterioration of my brain depends entirely on the passage of time and my young children,” he says. “I don't think there is a more destructive force in technology than the beauty of life itself.”

Przybylski specializes in studying the impact of technology on cognition and mental health. However, an increasing number of books, podcasts, articles, and research seem to make people believe that the digital life is performing a “frontal lobotomy” on our brains.

In December 2024, Oxford University Press even selected “brain rot” as the word of the year (strictly speaking, it's two words, but let's not be picky). This term metaphorically refers to the meaningless or unchallenging online content and the impact of our endless scrolling. All this information has led to a widespread concern - is the online world, which we and our children can hardly avoid, changing the structure of our brains, weakening our ability to concentrate and remember, and even lowering our IQ? And that's not good, because another factor that can significantly damage cognitive function is anxiety.

Hearing this news, you may breathe a sigh of relief: many neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers believe that such “moral panic” is unfounded regarding those sensational reports.

“Since 2017, people have been constantly saying, ‘Screens, technology, social media are a different world, and they are bad for you and your children,’” Przybylski says. “But this raises two problems. First, a lot of low - quality research caters to people's biases against technology. Since it fits the public's preconceived notions, these studies are easily hyped by the media. Second, it's not difficult to publish low - quality research. Just barely show some correlation and then exaggerate the interpretation, and you can attract attention and get funding.”

Of course, no one denies that there are dangers in the online world, but that doesn't mean you'll definitely be harmed. “Life itself is full of risks. Going out is risky, and crossing the road is risky,” Przybylski points out. “These are skills we must teach young people - to assess risks and learn how to act. Similarly, the Internet also has risks.”

He says that in recent years, there have been a large number of opinion pieces and best - selling books that are scientifically crude, yet the authors assert their views with confidence. “The ideas in these books have not been peer - reviewed.” The studies they cite often have small sample sizes, no control groups, and only describe correlations rather than prove causal relationships. “People will say, ‘The iPhone was invented in 2007, and Instagram became popular in 2012. Oh my god, look, as technology use has increased, mental health has declined!’ It sounds like common sense - that's why many people believe it. But it's not science at all.”

Oxford University Press notes that “brain rot” became a widely used term in 2024, describing the potential negative impacts of over - consuming low - quality online content (especially on social media). The frequency of its use increased by 230% between 2023 and 2024. This term first appeared in Henry David Thoreau's “Walden” in 1854, where he criticized society's tendency to simplify complex ideas, leading to a decline in intellectual and thinking abilities. In the digital age, especially in the past year, this term became popular on social media platforms such as TikTok and was widely used among Generation Z and Generation Alpha, gradually seeping into mainstream media and public discussions.

Is screen exposure ruining our brains?

In 2023, Przybylski and his colleagues analyzed data from nearly 12,000 American children aged 9 to 12 and found that screen time had no impact on the “functional connectivity” (the way different brain regions communicate) of children's brains. The research team used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the children's brain activity while they were performing tasks and found no negative impacts from screen time. At the same time, they also found that screen time had no negative impact on the children's self - reported mental health.

“If you conduct research like we do - carefully control every detail, clearly define your hypotheses before looking at the data, and make the data and code public - such research often won't show the negative impacts people expect.”

Of course, no one talks about the positive impacts of technology, such as helping people build connections and communities. “If we look at the bigger picture, we'll find that young people with internet - enabled phones and high - speed internet at home have a higher overall sense of well - being. They rate themselves as happier on multiple mental health indicators.”

“When the Lancet self - harm commission and the US National Academy of Sciences conduct evidence reviews, and when the academic community conducts meta - studies, they don't find the harm claimed by the ‘technology panic’,” he says. “This is exactly because the ‘technology panic’ is not based on evidence but on emotions.”

In 2005, a “study” claimed that using email reduced IQ more than smoking marijuana - this became the starting point of the wave of “technology harm theory” and is still often cited by the media today. However, Shane O’Mara, a professor of experimental brain research at Trinity College Dublin, found that this study didn't exist at all; in fact, it was just a press release. This so - called study was just the result of a one - day consulting job by a psychologist for HP. Later, the psychologist himself admitted that the study was exaggerated, which became a major nuisance in his life.

While conducting a survey on email use, the psychologist also conducted a one - day laboratory experiment. The experiment involved only 8 participants, and when an email alert popped up on their screens while their phones rang, their problem - solving ability decreased.

Later, he himself wrote, “This was just a short - term distraction effect, not a permanent decline in IQ. Comparing it to smoking marijuana or sleep deprivation was an over - exaggeration by others, which had nothing to do with my original intention.”

 

Some studies have found that “Problematic Internet Use” may lead to changes in brain structure, which sounds quite terrifying. But it should be noted that these studies don't focus on the general population but on individuals who already have “internet use problems”.

 O’Mara points out that the biggest problem with these studies is that they can't determine the causal relationship. “Maybe you have certain traits that make you more prone to excessive internet use. We simply don't know the answer because no one has ever completed this kind of causal relationship study - they are too large - scale and too difficult.”

In addition, the brain structure is constantly changing throughout life. For example, during pregnancy, the gray matter decreases, but it grows back after childbirth, along with other brain changes. As O’Mara says, “The brain is far more plastic than we think.”

 

He also believes that our current criticism of being addicted to social media, scrolling through cute animal videos, following celebrity news or sports highlights is actually a “lack of historical perspective”. He says, “Humans have always been easily distracted and have always liked short - term comforts.

If you look back at the history of the British media, such as in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, how many millions of tabloids were sold every day? 

The number was astonishing because people just like these things. This has always been human behavior, and our current criticism actually has a certain moral superiority.” Has the number of airplane accidents increased in the Internet age? Has the surgical failure rate gone up? “The obvious answer is no: we are performing better in these fields than ever before.”

 

O’Mara points out that we've always had to face the problem of the “attention bottleneck”. “Since I started reading and researching psychology, we've always told students, ‘Don't multitask; you can't do it.’” The phenomenon of decreased efficiency caused by multitasking is not a new problem brought about by the Internet.

 Przybylski also mentions that raising children is a typical “task - switching” scenario. With children constantly interrupting, it's difficult for adults to even say a complete sentence coherently.

Similarly, if you use your smartphone while driving, it will of course increase the risk of a car accident.

 

Is the scary claim that “as technology develops, IQ is declining” true or false? I contacted Franck Ramus, the head of the research team on cognitive development and pathology at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris.

He said that it's not yet clear whether IQ is really declining. In the 20th century, human IQ scores continued to rise globally, but around the millennium, the growth rate began to slow down. This “plateau effect” was expected, as the capacity of the human brain is ultimately limited.

He gave an example: “In the past few decades, the average human height has been increasing, but we can't grow to three meters, right?

 So, there are physical limits to humans, and the same goes for brain size.”

 

 

Ramus pointed out that the observed decline in IQ at present is very small, and no conclusive conclusion can be drawn yet. Further research is needed for verification. He mentioned, "There was a meta - analysis of all data before 2013, and the results showed that IQ scores were still on an upward trend at least around 2010.

 But at the same time, there are indeed some studies recording a slight decline in IQ in certain countries. For example, a widely - discussed Norwegian study found a slight decline in IQ over the past two decades.

 On the other hand, there are also a large number of studies still observing a continuous increase in IQ."

Ramus also pointed out that when we mention screen exposure, what exactly do we mean? "It can be anything. The screen is just a medium, and what really matters is the content. So when you talk about'screens', you could just as well be talking about 'paper'. Paper is also a medium and can record anything."

This naturally reminds us of Plato, who linked "mental decline" with the invention of writing, said Tony Chemero, a professor of philosophy and psychology at the University of Cincinnati.

In a paper he published in Nature - Human Behaviour in 2021, he pointed out, "Technology may change cognition, but it doesn't necessarily impair it." He said, "People have the same concerns today as Plato did 2,500 years ago. He wrote at that time that writing would make people stupid because their memory would get worse and their ability to tell stories would decline."

Chemero doesn't particularly like smartphones or artificial intelligence. He even finds the emergence of ChatGPT a headache because it forces professors like him to find new ways to ensure that the assignments submitted by students are not generated by ChatGPT. "But at least, smartphones and AI won't make us stupid,"

he said. "One of the greatest challenges in human evolution is to constantly adapt to new environments, and that's what 'being smart' is all about. Now, we've just entered a new environment. 

Although he can still remember the phone numbers of his high - school classmates, the young people's brains have been liberated to do other things.

'What we really want technology to help us with are those difficult and boring tasks, such as complex calculations and rote memorization. Without the assistance of technology, humans are actually not good at these tasks.'" he said.

The key question, he said, is what exactly is memory when we outsource part of it to technology? "Is it a function performed by the brain or an ability we possess? If technology helps you remember more things and your brain can do other things, I don't think it means your memory has gotten worse. 

These are two different situations. What really matters is what we can do." After all, the secret to human success has always been the use of tools. "Being smart means being able to accomplish many things, and I don't think mobile phones will make us struggle when doing things."

Learn to Use Screens Reasonably

Gary Small, the director of the Department of Psychiatry at Hackensack University Medical Center, has long studied the potential harms and benefits of digital technology use. He also avoids relying solely on studies based on correlation.

 "As far as I know," he said, "there is no convincing evidence that using digital technology or electronic devices can cause permanent brain damage."

Regarding the negative impacts, he believes that certain platforms and content may be addictive. "It could be porn, shopping, or gambling. This technology amplifies human behavior, as if injecting it with'steroids', accelerating and intensifying all these problems." He mentioned that two years ago, he and his colleagues conducted a study.

 They sent a group of 13 - year - old children to a nature camp and evaluated their emotional intelligence (by identifying emotions on people's faces) and social intelligence (the ability to describe social interactions) before and after their departure.

"We found that after just five days away from electronic devices, their emotional intelligence and social intelligence improved significantly, and our study had a control group." 

He said this shows that the negative impacts of mobile - phone use are temporary, and as long as you put down the phone, these impacts will disappear.

Of course, digital technology also has a positive side. "In work and social life, screens keep us connected, improve efficiency, and allow us to access information more quickly. I can collaborate with people around the globe."

Of course, using electronic devices for a long time without rest can indeed lead to fatigue - "You may experience physical symptoms such as headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, as well as mental fatigue, there's no doubt about that."

 But at the same time, using the Internet itself can also be a way to stimulate the brain. "The research we've conducted at least makes me optimistic about this point."

His team once had some elderly people learn how to use the Internet for searching in a functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner and found an increase in their brain neural activity.

The study also pointed out, "Certain computer programs and video games may help improve memory, multitasking ability, fluid intelligence, and other cognitive abilities.

Some apps and digital tools also provide mental - health interventions, such as self - management, monitoring, and skill training, all of which may improve mood and behavior." 

He said that instead of worrying about "mental decline" affecting our cognitive abilities (and possibly even our parenting abilities), we should learn to use electronic devices wisely. "Manage your devices instead of letting them control you. I try to practice this myself" - specifically, it means taking regular breaks and choosing appropriate communication methods.

"Many times, I see people discussing complex and delicate issues through long - winded email exchanges, while the best solution is often: 'Make a phone call or meet in person.'" 

 

At the same time, Przybylski doesn't deliberately keep his children away from smartphones or game consoles. He said, "It's completely okay to arrange some reasonable leisure time, and screen activities can of course be part of it." The key lies in the quality of the content, and "like all activities, the time spent using the screen should also be reasonable.

 I think many of the negative impacts attributed to'screen use' are not actually caused by the screen itself, but rather by the fact that it takes up time that could have been spent on other beneficial activities."

 Similarly, O'Mara is not worried about working on the computer for a long time.

He said, "We need to learn to look at our interaction with these media in a new way.

 Go out for a walk, get up and move around. If you're feeling anxious because of electronic devices, this method will be very effective."

The key is to maintain a balance and avoid being tempted by excessive multitasking. 

O'Mara suggests setting aside some time to focus on reading a book or putting the phone in another room while watching TV. "Consciously choose how to use the media," he said.