All learning starts with the ability to focus and heed a teacher’s command to “pay attention.” Yet kids, like many of us, are showing a classroom attention span that is increasingly like their attention span on Facebook: Many seem to be exquisitely distractible and unable to focus on Mrs. Wilson for longer than it would take them to write a “status update.” This problem is also suggested by the tremendous increase in the number of Ritalin prescriptions written over the last decade. Children (and we) seem less attentive than ever, and studies are questioning what role the virtual lifestyle may be playing in this.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder of childhood, estimated to affect 3% to 5% of children, although adults are not spared. Children with ADHD show impairment in multiple areas of functioning, including home, school, and peer relationships, and can have long-term problems with academic performance, professional success, and social development. Typical symptoms in a child or adult with the inattentive type of ADHD include:
· fails to give attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities;
· finds it difficult to listen when spoken to directly;
· finds it difficult to follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace;
· finds it difficult to organize tasks and activities;
· is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort (such as homework);
· loses things necessary for tasks or activities (e.g., school assignments, pencils, toys);
· is easily distracted by extraneous stimuli;
· is often forgetful in daily activities.
To date, several studies have shown a link between ADHD and excessive Internet use. The largest of the studies conducted in school-age children involved 752 elementary students in South Korea and found that 33% of those who suffered from ADHD were “addicted” to the Internet. A study in an older age group—216 college students in Taiwan—compared the rates of ADHD in adults who met criteria for Internet addiction to those who were “normal” users of the World Wide Web. The results showed that 32% percent of Internet addicts had ADHD compared to only 8% of non-addicts. While these studies do not prove causality, the correlations are certainly striking and form a legitimate basis to seriously question whether our virtual pastimes may be making us attention-deficient. It seems as though our brains in real life increasingly resemble a hyperactive Internet browser with no popup blocker: multiple unrelated open windows, flashing graphics in all corners, and banner ads running up and down the screen—all competing for our attention.
