In today’s society, there is a constant push for instant digital stimulation through full access to entertainment. Real boredom was once an unavoidable part of life; moments that were once imbued with daydreaming or simple waiting are now instantly occupied by screens. Smartphones and social media have become a way society has tried to eliminate boredom rather than experience it.
Marissa Eubanks, sophomore, admits that while constant stimulation is enjoyable, it also makes focusing harder. “I think in the beginning, when I just started having access to social media, you don’t notice the change, but over time, it gets to the point where I struggle watching a 5-minute video,” she said. In a study by Scientific Reports, tracking smartphone use objectively with passive sensing, U.S. adolescents averaged about five hours of cellular device app usage per day. That’s 300 minutes of one’s day glued to a device, slowly reshaping how one thinks, focuses, and experiences the world around them, time which could be better spent on fruitful activities.
The disappearance of boredom affects more than attention spans. Ennui has historically been a spur for creativity and contemplation. When the mind has nothing to focus on, it often begins to wander and imagine. Some impactful moments in history occurred when one had no choice but to be left alone with their thoughts and ideas. Isaac Newton, Mary Shelley, and Nikola Tesla are all proof of this statement. However, by constantly filling empty moments, society may be removing the conditions that allow original thinking to grow. Despite the belief that phones reduce boredom, research from Science Daily has found that switching quickly between short digital videos or scrolling activities can actually make people feel more bored. That is because rapid shifting reduces deep engagement and makes ordinary tasks feel dull by comparison. “I think students should sometimes allow themselves to be bored because it renews the mind to go without social media and technology,” Eubanks said.
This urge for constant stimulation is a blessing with all available opportunities, but can be a challenge in the classroom. Hannah Baysinger, a Spanish teacher at the high school, expressed that students expect continual engagement but lack the attention span for it. “There’s pressure for the lesson to be entertaining every second,” she said. “If a student looks away for even a moment, you feel like you’ve already lost them.” While technology is beneficial for interactive learning and immediate access to information, it also alters the dynamics of attention and patience.
To combat this, Iowa has implemented a new law (HF 782) that bans cell phone use during instructional time in K-12 schools. Aiming for students to prioritize studying and to give teachers a higher sense of attention. Some schools have experimented with “device-free” periods to help further improve education and learning, but many have not enforced this new bill. “Often I’ll give my students a task that has no right or wrong answer,” Baysinger shared. “At first, they might get frustrated. They want to look things up or get instant feedback. But once they settle in, I see them thinking differently than when they are constantly plugged in.”
Over time, true boredom will fade as social media becomes more prevalent in everyday life. Yet perhaps people can spend a few moments reflecting on life before they pick up their phones. Though it may seem old-fashioned, pausing reminds us that unwinding, even briefly, offers a perception that screens alone cannot provide.
