Are we rotting our brains?

In 2024, Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year was brain rot.

Whether your child has come home from school speaking a secret language of ‘6-7’ and ‘skibidi’, you’ve heard a young person describe themselves as ‘chronically online’ or you’re prone to succumbing to an endless cycle of cute dog videos, the internet is ever present in our lives, and the science shows that its proximity is harming our brains.

‘Brain rot’ is defined by Oxford Dictionary as the ‘deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the overconsumption of material considered to be trivial or unchallenging.’

Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages said, ‘Looking back at the Oxford Word of the Year over the past two decades, you can see the way internet culture is permeating so much of who we are and what we talk about.’

The future is here. We’re no longer just flesh and bone – we’re part machine, in the handheld device we couldn’t imagine life without. So, how do we live in harmony with our digital counterparts?

Your brain on rot: dopamine and pleasure centres

Experts recommend a maximum of 2 hours of recreational screen time a day (including TV) – but the truth is that most of us far exceed this limit. Reports say that 4 billion young adults spend over 6.5 hours a day online and some studies cite recreational screen time as high as 7 hours.

According to scientists, excessive screen time ‘hijacks our neurological reward systems’.

Dopamine is the chemical that keeps us hooked on our screens. When dopamine is released, it activates our pleasure centre, which drives us to seek the same sensation again, and again.

It’s integral to healthy brain function and mental health, but when we have easy access to something which gives us a quick reward, dopamine drives addiction.

Finding pleasure is hardwired into us for survival. Historically, we would get dopamine when we completed a task which supported survival – finding shelter, food or a sexual mate.
Social media offers a quick fix. A funny video. A like on your post. A message from your partner. It’s a never-ending source.

But, it’s also known as ‘cheap dopamine’.

Unlike the kind our ancestors gained when they found a source of food, cheap dopamine is not earned – and it comes at the cost of your time, health and satisfaction.

After we close the app, we experience a deficit of dopamine. In addicted brains, when the event is over, you drop below your baseline of dopamine, causing moodiness, fatigue and a decrease in motivation.

“Many children today are growing up with games designed to deliver quick rewards,” says play therapist Wing. “When those same children sit down to build with blocks, draw, or wait their turn in a board game, I often see a lower tolerance for the slow, messy non-linear process of real-world play. They’re not used to things that take time, revision or multiple attempts. And that, I believe has real implications for resilience.”

Earned dopamine has a slower burn, and when the task is over, you return back to baseline.

Completing a task, spending time in nature, exercise, a good night’s sleep and learning a new skill are all examples of things that will give you a hit of ‘earned dopamine’.

“Reducing screen time allows my patients to use their free time to do fun activities – and support production of ‘earned dopamine’,” says Naturopathic doctor Melissa Lee. “Many use the time previously spent scrolling on their device on an exercise that they enjoy, improving their fitness, heart health and happy hormones,” says Dr Melissa.

Unfortunately, if you have a history of addiction in your family, the lottery of genetics is weighed against you. 50% of addictive tendencies are down to your DNA, and the other 50, your environment.

What do the studies say?

Filling our brains with short-form content like reels can impact our cognitive and mental health, causing exhaustion, poor sleep, an inability to focus and think analytically, while increasing anxiety and low mood.

“I see the impact of high levels of screen time reflected in-clinic. My patients report worsening eyesight, dry and tired eyes, difficulty falling asleep, poor energy and digestion and weight gain. Emotionally and cognitively, they feel anxious, have poor focus and lower self-esteem, finding it hard to make friends. They’re often lonely and unhappy,” Dr Melissa confirms.

A 2025 review found that the overuse of social media, video games and digital platforms leads to ‘emotional desensitization, cognitive overload and negative self-concept’.

It linked doomscrolling (inability to stop reading distressing news), zombie scrolling (scrolling without purpose) and social media addiction, to psychological distress, anxiety and depression.

The negative effects of these habits were evident in memory, decision making, and planning. The effect of short-form video content on poor cognition has been noted across several studies.

A 2025 study demonstrated that when participants had an unlimited ability to scroll through short form videos, it affected their ability to remember tasks significantly (prospective memory).

In 2023 researchers tested how different forms of social media (Twitter – now X, long-form Youtube videos and TikTok) affect our prospective memory. Participants performed a prospective memory task before and after a 10 minute break. During the break a control group rested and did nothing - and improved after the break. Those watching a Youtube video, or scrolling on Twitter performed the same as they did before the break. And the final group, who were scrolling on TikTok, did significantly worse.

Poor prospective memory is linked to lower quality of life among older adults, and researchers from these studies theorise that it impacts our social relationships. Poor prospective memory results in others feeling a person is ‘unreliable’. After reminding someone for the third time to take the bins out, we may begin to lose faith in their ability to be responsible, which can impact familial and romantic relationships.

Terms like ‘digital dementia’ highlight the impact of screen time on cognitive health. Researchers have found that excessive screen time is associated with weaker brain structures: reduced volume of the occipital cortex (which processes the things you see), thinner temporal and prefrontal cortices (which process language and memory, and carry out executive functions like planning, problem solving and decision-making).

Scientists say that nourishing prospective memory can support a healthier aging brain.

“There are times when we can’t avoid screens – like at work, or at school, but we can still schedule breaks to exercise our eyes or take water breaks. It’s important to rest our eyes and minds for a few minutes, especially during long periods of focus,” says Melissa.

Screen time and nervous system health

Studies link screen time use to nervous system dysregulation. School-aged kids who use online media for more than three hours a day have been shown to have a reduced surge of cortisol in the morning – which is when cortisol should be at its highest. In contrast, those who used media for less than three hours showed normal levels of cortisol upon waking.
Exposure to light before bedtime can inhibit the production of melatonin, which is crucial for sleep. Kids with higher levels of screen time are more likely to delay going to bed, have reduced sleep duration, interrupted sleep and more daytime fatigue.

Teens with addictive online behaviour experience more nervous system activation, which makes it harder for the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest response) to kick in and induce sleep.

“At night, shutting off your phone and making time to decompress with meditation or deep breathing eases sleeping problems helps patients feel more refreshed. This means they have more motivation for meaningful connection, quality time with friends and time to get out of the house into nature, all of which helps improve mental health,” says Melissa.

HPA dysfunction is linked to mental health concerns like depression and anxiety. Research on excessive screen use has linked it to symptoms of depression, increased stress hormones, suicidal tendencies and reduced mental energy.

Play therapist Wing notes the impact of screen time on kids’ mental health.

“Often multiplayer online games, even when rated for their age group, expose children to unfiltered communication – strangers using abusive language, slurs, or aggressive put-downs. Even if a child isn’t the target, witnessing that kind of interaction on a regular basis can normalise cruelty and create anxiety,” says Wing. “Children don’t have the emotional vocabulary to process what they’ve heard, but it shows up in their play, their mood and behaviour.”

Another study demonstrated that college-age students who used their phones recreationally for 7 hours a day experienced higher levels of anxiety, depression and stress.

Research has demonstrated the link between ADHD, low dopamine and screen use. Those with ADHD experience low levels of dopamine, and may use social media and the stimulation from screens to raise their levels of dopamine – but in the long run, this can worsen symptoms.

The answer?

Controlling your screen time is no easy feat – but there are things that you can do to help you win the battle.

“I recommend a reduction or a change in screen habits to almost every patient I have,” says Dr Melissa. “Most are on their screen at work or school for many hours a day, so setting boundaries to protect the eyes, body and mind at home is very important. We use screen time trackers to check progress so patients can be mindful about how much stimulating content they’re consuming, allowing them to take charge of their health.”

“I recommend setting an alarm to stop using your device an hour before bed, as well as not using your phone for an hour in the morning when you wake up. Start and finish your day gently with activities like journalling, listening to music, or reading a physical book, rather than a kindle,” she says.

Keeping phones out of the bedroom can help ensure that you associate your room with rest, rather than mindless scrolling. Adding a widget to your home screen gives you a visual reminder of how much time you’ve spent on your phone each day, for easy tracking.

Set time limits for the apps which tend to suck you in (for adults too, not just kids). Add an extra barrier to accessing those apps by removing them from your home screen.

If you can, go one step further and delete the app altogether -even if just for a while. Dr Anne Lembke, author of Dopamine Nation says that one month of abstinence is the length of time needed to reset dopamine pathways, but a day will help.

According to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, one of the major triggers for behaviours is the preceding event. The most common these days? A notification. Turning off all notifications for non-essential apps (like the news and social media) can help you manage your screen time. If it’s important to you that you stay clued in to world events, set aside 10 minutes to have a look at the headlines. When your timer goes off, close the app.

Lead by example with your kids. “Putting the phone down at home increases time for meaningful communication, family bonding and intimacy,” says Melissa.

“When a child feels seen and joined, the screen fades into the background,” Wing agrees. “I suggest limits that fit the child’s age and temperament, especially when they’re under 12, when the pre-frontal cortex is still learning how to self-control and regulate,” she adds.

Plan (or let your kids plan) things for you to do which aren’t related to a screen. Reduce decision fatigue when you get to the evening by creating a menu of things to do that you can fall back on (ADHDers might know this as a dopa-menu).

Making art, learning origami, playing an instrument, or playing board or card games are also good ways to decrease your screen time.

Consider rewarding your kids with a treat for keeping within their screen limits - like allowing them to choose a meal to cook together, or where you go on a special day trip for some real quality time - time better spent than sitting in front of the TV, disassociating. 

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