Digital Addiction: Can We Afford a Generation of Brain-Rotten Idiots? 

By Nasir Hamid Khan

“I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interactions. The world will have a generation of idiots.” — Albert Einstein

Well, here we are — a generation of idiots amusing ourselves to death, oblivious to what may possibly be the last great pandemic known to humankind. We are unaware of the fact that handing over digital devices/screens to kids and adolescents will irreparably damage their brains in their formative years. It is akin to connecting your home power circuit to an ultra-high-voltage power line. The current condition of our brain is not much different from what would remain of the home circuit. Our 1.7 million-year-old mind is simply not equipped to handle the endless stream of digital information and algorithms that we are being exposed to. The result is isolation and impaired relationships, reduced attention spans, insomnia, stress, reduced cognition, creativity blocks, sadness, anxiety, depression, suicide, and much more. It is the fastest and most pervasive addiction known to humanity.

Smartphones and the allied digital lures are engineered and designed to be addictive, and this addiction kills all creativity, meaning, and purpose from the lives of its users, turning them into digital junkies. Neuroscientists have termed the dopamine deficit state as ‘learned helplessness’.

We recently organized an event under the ‘Common Interest Conversations’ program at Amar Singh Club, Srinagar, presided over by Prof. S.A. Romshoo, Vice Chancellor, Islamic University of Science & Technology, and chaired by eminent senior advocate Mr. Zaffer A. Shah. The conversation left me scared and anxious as I woke up from my high-octane, digital-stimuli-infused slumber. I am slowly coming to terms with the disastrous power I allowed technology to have over me and the costs in terms of lost time and relationships. Expert views shared by me in this article are mostly attributable to Dr. Anna Lembke, a renowned American psychiatrist, a world-leading expert on addiction, Medical Director of Addiction Medicine at Stanford University, and author of three important books on the subject, including the New York Times bestselling book Dopamine Nation. Inputs have also been taken from Netflix documentaries The Social Dilemma (nominated for seven Emmys) and Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy. I strongly recommend watching them, as well as Fabeha Syed’s Urdunama episode on “Brain Rot” to gain a deeper understanding of the scale of this addiction.

Incidentally, the Oxford Word of the Year for 2024 is ‘Brain Rot’, which describes the negative effects of consuming too much online content, especially low-quality or unchallenging material. In Urdu, it can be translated as ‘Zehani Zawaal’.

The digital world today provides endless opportunities for education, research, and enrichment of the mind, which responsible users are effectively utilizing to their advantage and to the world’s benefit. However, they are in the minority, as this virtual world appears to have been taken over by vested commercial interests that make more money from increased online time. We need to draw a clear distinction between healthy usage and problematic usage, which results in impaired minds and disrupted lives. I am reminded of the words of Urdu poet Vikas Sharma Raz: “Mayreh Urooj Ki Likhi Thi Dastaan Jisme, Meray Zavaal Ka Kissa Bhi Uss Kitab Main Tha”. Those connected with the online business are today the richest human beings in the history of humankind. Billions and trillions of dollars are being made without a thought for the costs and consequences to humankind and the planet. Fifteen out of the top twenty in the latest Forbes Billionaires List are connected to this business. This has given rise to many unfair practices and manipulations, as they remain focused on sales and profits alone. Surveillance Capitalism and Planned Obsolescence are cornerstones of the new business methodology. The product is you and your on-screen attention span.

A joint study by the Shanghai Institute of Early Childhood Education and the Faculty of Education and Human Development, Education University of Hong Kong, concludes as follows:
“…digital addiction in children and adolescents leads to structural brain changes, including reduced grey and white matter volume in various regions involved in executive function, reward processing, and sensorimotor activities, impacting cognitive capabilities and contributing to problematic smartphone use, internet gaming disorder, and internet addiction.”

Studies have established the negative impact of digital addiction on children and adolescents from multiple aspects — physical, emotional, cognitive, and brain structure and function. For example, vision and hearing, social skills, social relationships, aggressive behavior, high frequency of depression and anxiety, reduced attention span, memory, and problem-solving skills. The smartphone has been termed the modern-day hypodermic needle to which we turn for quick digital hits, seeking attention, validation, and distraction with each swipe, like, and tweet. The obsession with instant gratification means we are constantly living in our limbic brain, which processes emotions, rather than in our prefrontal cortex, which deals with future planning and problem-solving and is essential for personality development.

Experts warn that behavior which we initially find pleasurable and which engages us in approach behavior, puts us in such a dopamine deficit state that we continue to indulge in that behavior not to feel good, but to stop feeling bad. We don’t enjoy it, but yet we just cannot stop going back to the screen.

Homeostasis is any self-regulating process by which biological systems tend to maintain stability while adjusting to conditions that are optimal for survival. If homeostasis is successful, life continues; if unsuccessful, disaster ensues. The idea was first explored by French physiologist Claude Bernard in 1849, and the word homeostasis was coined by American neurologist and physiologist Walter Bradford Cannon in 1926. When the system of dynamic equilibrium is disturbed, built-in regulatory devices respond to establish a new balance, as in the control of body temperature to a steady 98.6°F.

Modern-day psychiatrists have discovered that abstinence from any drug or addiction for a month is the minimum time required for brain neuroadaptation to restore homeostasis balance and decrease the anxiety and depression that social media can induce. This 30-day abstinence allows us to realize the true impact of compulsive overconsumption on our lives. It is required to reset our brain pathways to be able to re-engage in recovery work and reassess our goals. The goal is how to do nothing. It’s crucial to take time just to be. Scientific studies have observed the importance of “resting mental networks,” meaning that between activities, people demonstrate a synchronicity between different parts of the brain that has its own rhythm and breathing. This state contributes to original ideas and a general sense of wellness. An example of this can be found in the interview of popular actor Aamir Khan, who says: “When I stopped using the phone, I didn’t realize how big a step it would be. It has totally changed my life as I have started thinking, and mental windows started opening up so fast. Mobile devices had made us stop thinking. I have managed to complete my assignment in 6 weeks, which would otherwise have taken no less than two years. As we used to do before, I have now started thinking about my children, my family, and my work.”

Apart from the structural brain damage it causes, the time wasted scrolling through trivial and junk data on your phone is a waste of your life because time is also a measure of life, just as moments are.

The main problem with treating digital addiction is that the user is unaware of being afflicted with this disease. For a start, it is critically important that such awareness is raised. The support of family and community must play a significant role. The problem I see here is that the family and community may itself be afflicted to a considerable degree. A look around us would answer this beyond a doubt. It is the sheer scale of this addiction that is worrisome and unprecedented. We can beat our digital dependencies by embracing a more monastic mindset. Experts warn that we need to stop hunting for pleasure all the time, and this hunting needs to be replaced by what they term as “painful pursuits” like exercise, fasting, prayer, meditation, and other mind-engaging activities. We need to consider how this addiction affects our ability to be a good parent, spouse, or friend.

Here, I would humbly suggest to the readers that what neuroscience has discovered recently was revealed to us by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) more than 1400 years ago. Every Muslim, every year, is required to fast and reflect for a month during the most holy and sacred month of Ramadan. It is a time to practice self-control, gratitude, and compassion. Sawm (fasting) is the fourth pillar of Islam, and abstinence forms its core. Other religions also practice fasting and abstinence for spiritual reasons.

Keeping in view the views expressed above, there is a dire need for our society to rise together in solidarity to fight this addiction. I would suggest to all residents of Jammu and Kashmir, irrespective of their religion, to come together as human beings and collectively withdraw from the digital world and give their minds time to breathe, think, and restore mental balances that are vital for our present and future. Let us collectively abstain, or to the extent possible reduce, the use of digital devices during the holy period of Ramadan.

• The author is the Secretary, Amar Singh Club, Srinagar and the Former Senior Vice President, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry

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