About this video

• Video Title: Aandachtswetenschapper over jouw scherm- en telefoongebruik
• Channel: Universiteit van Nederland
• Speakers: Stefan van der Stichel
• Duration: 00:10:11

Overview

This video features attention scientist Stefan van der Stichel answering five common questions about social media use and its impact on attention and sleep. He explains how social media apps are designed to capture and hold attention, negatively affecting sleep quality and subsequent concentration. Van der Stichel also discusses the complexity of measuring generational differences in concentration, distinguishes social media from TV in terms of engagement, clarifies that screen time itself isn't the issue but rather what's done on the screen, and explains why excessive screen time can lead to irritability and reduced emotional control.

Key takeaways

• Social Media vs. Sleep & Concentration: Using social media before bed increases alertness and arousal, making it harder to fall asleep and reducing concentration the next day due to poorer sleep quality.
• Blue Light's Limited Impact: The blue light emitted by phones has a minimal effect on sleep compared to the activating nature of the social media apps themselves.
• Concentration is Motivational: While the digital world constantly competes for attention, making sustained concentration more challenging, motivation and interest are key factors in one's ability to focus, regardless of generation.
• Social Media's Addictive Design: Social media platforms employ psychological tricks and algorithms to maximize user engagement, making them more compelling and harder to disengage from than traditional television.
• Screen Time and Brain Fatigue: Prolonged screen use, especially with attention-grabbing content, tires the brain's attention network, leading to reduced emotional control, irritability, and an inability to notice internal signals like hunger or fatigue.

Social media use before sleep negatively impacts subsequent concentration primarily because these apps are designed to maximize user alertness and arousal. This heightened state makes it difficult to fall asleep. Consequently, the quality and duration of sleep are reduced, and poor sleep is a major predictor of lower concentration levels and increased susceptibility to distractions the following day.

The speaker suggests several strategies for managing screen time to avoid negative consequences:

• Recognize the need for breaks: Understand that the brain's attention system needs to rest and recover. Extended use without breaks can lead to fatigue and reduced functionality.
• Set personal limits: Implement signals or reminders to stop using screens, recognizing when enough is enough.
• Modify screen appearance: Suggests making screens black and white as a potential trick to make them less appealing, thus encouraging less usage.
• Incorporate mini-breaks: Advise using prompts or settings that ask how you are doing and suggest taking a short break.
• Question continued usage: Encourage users to consider whether they genuinely want to continue using their device or if it would be better to do something else.
• Pay attention to internal signals: Be aware of your body's cues, such as hunger or fatigue, which can be ignored when attention is fully absorbed by a screen.
• Avoid multitasking: Recognize that true multitasking is not possible and that dividing attention between screens and other activities leads to missing information.