01 | Brain Rot: Is there any proof your phone is destroying your attention span?

Science Friction

Everyone seems to have a hunch that their phone is destroying their attention span, but is there any science to back it up?

In episode one of Brain Rot, we’re doing our best to focus on the topic of attention for a full 25 minutes — and find out what's actually happening in your brain every time your phone buzzes or dings.

Is brain rot a real thing? Or just another moral panic?

And how do you know when your own screen use has gone too far?

Brain Rot is a new five part series from the ABC’s Science Friction about how tech is changing our brains, hosted by Ange Lavoipierre.

Guests:

Anna Seirian

CEO, Internet People

Dr Mark Williams

Professor, Macquarie UniversityCognitive neuroscientist

Michoel Moshel

Clinical Neuropsychologist RegistrarPhd Candidate, Macquarie University

Professor Marion Thain

Professor of Culture and Technology, University of EdinburghDirector, Edinburgh Futures Institute

Credits:

• Presenter: Ange Lavoipierre
• Producer: Fiona Pepper
• Senior Producer: James Bullen
• Sound Engineer: Brendan O'Neill

This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar peoples.

More information:

Neuropsychological Deficits in Disordered Screen Use Behaviours: A Systematic Review and Meta‑Analysis - Neuropsychology Review, 2024.

Do we have your attention? How people focus and live in the modern information environment - King's College London, 2022.

Internet addiction-induced brain structure and function alterations: a systematic review and meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry and resting-state functional connectivity studies - Brain Imaging and Behavior, 2023.