“Directed attention is the ability to inhibit distractions and sustain attention and to shift attention appropriately,” Michael Manos, the clinical director of the Center for Attention and Learning at Cleveland Clinic Children’s, explained to the outlet. “It requires higher-order skills like planning and prioritizing.” Kids generally have difficulty using directed attention because the prefrontal cortex doesn’t fully develop until age 25. TikTok’s constantly changing environments don’t require that level of sustained attention. “If kids’ brains become accustomed to constant changes, the brain finds it difficult to adapt to a nondigital activity where things don’t move quite as fast,” Manos said.

Coleman, T. (2023, August 17). ‘TikTok brain’ may be coming for your kid’s attention span. The Week. https://theweek.com/health-and-wellness/1025836/tiktok-brain-and-attention-spans