Bring back boredom for mental well-being

26 Dec Bring back boredom for mental well-being

I recently asked a friend’s seventeen-year-old son what his relationship was like with social media, and he responded, I don’t interact on digital platforms anymore; curious to understand this rare species of a teenager; I asked him why. His explanation was simple: social media never allowed him to be bored; what followed was my lightbulb moment.

Mental health statics are growing at an alarming rate amongst all ages and all demographics; moreover, researchers are starting to make connections between our online activity and our mental well-being. Most of us don’t need pages of analysis to see that social media can negatively affect our lives. We have all witnessed too many recent tragic cases reported over the media drawing attention to the algorithms pushing harmful content. In the most extreme cases, this may involve promoting suicide, self-harm, body dysmorphia, polarised communities, hate speech and disinformation. However, a closer examination can shed light on many less apparent harms generated by the social media business model.

Those old enough to remember the days before the constant ping from our smartphones can still recall being bored. The quiet moments when we would process our emotions, daily events and challenges; when alone, our brains were forced to get creative, resolve problems and make our own entertainment. Many argue that the internet has inspired even more creativity and opened us up to a whole world of possibilities; this is true. Nevertheless, since the invasion of social media, most of us have experienced the pull of reaching for our phones in quiet moments. We are now filling the gap with a quick swipe when we should, perhaps, be interacting with our kids, working, resting or even just being quiet.

Lights out as a child in the 70s, 80s or 90s meant quietly processing the day’s challenges, reading (occasionally) or listening to music on clunky cassette players. In comparison, night-time for the child of the twenty-first century often means endless scrolling where they may be viewing all kinds of harmful content. Bedtime viewing can include influencers promoting their self-proclaimed perfect narrative decorated with product placements, algorithmic amplification pushing negative imagery or online chat groups that could involve cyberbullying or predators. Is it no wonder that mental health is on the rise? For those caregivers now gleefully patting themselves on the back because they have followed all the safety guidelines and removed phones at bedtime, think again. This may work temporarily for 11–13-year-olds; however, how long can you realistically keep restrictions up? Social media is candy; denying it or making their social connection device a punishment can become divisive. The internet is available and addictive; therefore, our kids will and do seek it out.

No parent, no matter how diligent, can monitor their child twenty-four-seven, and for that matter, neither can they check all the content of the phones of all their peers. The average time spent by teens is on average seven hours daily. In addition, there are reports highlighting that some young people will even wake up during the night to check their phones, furthermore, reaching out to check updates the minute they awake. This poses the question, who is controlling their online activity, them, their caregivers or the social media companies?

The business model of social media is grounded by the need to keep us engaged, and so far, that has been at whatever cost. Governments are claiming that the new online harms bill will fix all this; however, surely it would be better to raise awareness through education, treating the cause rather than the effect. The quiet moments we all need to process emotion and ideas are now replaced by endless scrolling and stimulation; lack of brain rest may be causing real-life harm to our mental health; the actual cost may be unknown for a while.