“Digital dementia” refers to the deterioration of cognitive abilities resulting from the overuse of digital technologies. Clearly, the more we use our screens on a daily basis, the less we put our memory to the test.
Unveiled in 2012 by German neuroscientist and psychiatrist Manfred Spitzer, the concept of digital dementia refers to the decline in cognitive faculties, including memory, attention, concentration, and problem-solving skills. This degradation may result from excessive use of digital technologies, particularly among young people, such as computers, smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices.
Digital dementia, kézako?
If the term can scare and think of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, numerous studies, including that relayed by The Lancet Child and Adolescent Healthdemonstrate for example that children aged 8 to 11 who spend more than 2 hours a day in front of a screen, such as the smartphone given to younger and younger people, suffer from cognitive delay.
Using our GPS to find our way, opening our phone book to call a loved one or asking Google to solve a problem rather than using our memory or activating our brain can, in the long term, impair our cognitive abilities.
Does digital dementia really exist?
If, at the time of writing, digital dementia is only a concept which cannot result from a medical diagnosis nor be quantified, it questions many experts and is the subject of research.
In 2022, results from a study on the overall risk of dementia related to television or computer use demonstrated a moderate to increased risk of dementia. At the end of another study, in 2023, researchers demonstrated that excessive use of screens harmed the executive functioning and working memory of adolescents. Finally, in 2023, a final analysis revealed that more than 4 hours of screen time per day increased the risk of dementia from all causes among participants.
How to detect and prevent digital dementia?
Despite the absence of a diagnosis, some experts agree to establish a list of symptoms that can alert subjects following prolonged screen time on social networks for example, such as short and long term memory loss, difficulty performing more than one task at a time, or even problems with mood, concentration or sleep.
And if it is very difficult for us today to do without the technology embedded in our screens, more reasoned use is entirely possible, to prevent digital dementia, such as limiting the display of notifications, reduce scrolling, beat boredom by preferring a good book to a series on Netflix and only increase one thing: your time spent disconnecting from screens!
Sources: HealthlineFebruary 2, 2024, Doctissimo
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