They Are Now The Kids of “Generation COVID” and their Attention Spans are way worse now!

A survey of more than 500 school teachers in England revealed the devastating effects that social media platforms had on their impressionable students, claiming “pupil inattention” has significantly worsened since the onset of the pandemic.

Instructors are pointing fingers at platforms like TikTok, which skyrocketed in popularity during COVID lockdowns and is used by an estimated 67% of teens.

85% of teachers surveyed are blaming kids’ unruly behaviour on the uptick in social media usage and the “ever-swiping nature of social media.”

The survey was conducted between April and May of this year to determine behavioural changes between pre-pandemic and now.

A startling 84% of teachers said their students’ attention span is “shorter than ever,” forcing educators to spend less than 10 minutes on any given subject just to hold the kids’ interest.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents also reported an increase in daydreaming or inattention from their pupils.

Social media use in teens has been linked to mental health repercussions, such as depression and anxiety.

Just last month, the US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a report claiming that adolescents who spend more than three hours online every day are at double the risk for deteriorated mental health.

The Surgeon General says “We have seen an increase in anxiety, depression and addiction, including digital addiction, among our youth since the start of COVID.”

Adding “Social media use and mental health should be a topic for ongoing discussions in families,” he added. “Start regularly talking about safety in digital communications, time boundaries and which apps should be avoided.”