It’s ironic that while we constantly upgrade to smarter phones, we may be getting a little less smart ourselves. Researchers have begun talking about “digital dementia,” suggesting that our generation may be experiencing a decline in memory and cognitive ability. Some reports even claim we are, on average, about 1.5 years behind where we used to be.
So should we all go back to dumb flip phones to become smarter again?
In one of my speaking classes, I asked a couple sitting right next to each other:
“If you were going to an island and could only take one precious thing, what would it be?”
Without hesitation, the man said, “My phone.”
His partner was sitting right next to him.
Then I asked, “What can’t you live without?”
“Internet,” he replied. Once again, his parter was sitting right next to him.
When I suggested the idea of going back to flip phones to my high school students, most of them laughed with a bit of fear and shock “How on earth could you suggest such a thing?”
They thought for a couple of seconds and finally said, “Oh no, we’d get bullied.”
It’s also alarming to realise that I’ve been blaming hormonal changes for my brain fog and memory decline—when perhaps digital dementia is playing a role too.
My spelling isn’t as sharp as it used to be—and I’m an English teacher. I can’t blame the fact that more and more students struggle with spelling.
Many writers for children books are sometimes wondering: who still reads books these days?
The bigger question is—how do we step away from screens when our entire lives depend on them?
Year 1 students are expected to use iPads for Maths homework. Majority of jobs require computer work constantly.
Homework is assigned online. Updates come through email. Teenagers don’t go to festivals to enjoy the rides anymore—they walk around shopping centres, scrolling their phones for sales.
They laugh together over videos instead of shared moments.
They dance by following TikTok clips.
They create music on laptops instead of sitting at a piano.
The other day, I took my daughter to school. She received an award—and I couldn’t take a photo because I didn’t have my phone. She was upset.
And alongside all of this, we’re seeing more children diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, and depression.
So what can we do?
Maybe the answer isn’t to reject technology completely (because it’s impossible) but to make small, intentional changes, starting from us, parents.
Leave your phone at home when you go for a walk.
Be offline for a couple of hours a day.
No phones during class.
No phones at mealtimes.
No phones after 9pm.
We find hobbies that don’t require a screen.
At work, schools, we go back to pen and paper where possible.