The internet is changing way too fast for anyone to keep up. This leaves the young generation to navigate an environment that no generation before them has ever faced. There are apps that are designed to addict people, and then there is this peer pressure to post your entire life across different platforms. This is how social media is quietly altering the way young minds think, feel, and interact with people.In the middle of it all is the basic habit of endless scrolling. What looks like a harmless way to pass a few quiet minutes is actually a powerful force affecting mental energy and emotional well-being. If people want to succeed in their lives, it is necessary to understand these hidden patterns today, so that the next generation can reclaim their focus and shape their own path.
28 Jul 2026 | 16:25
Do you think social media has changed the parent-teen relationship?
How screens adapt the mindThe human brain is remarkably adaptable; it naturally reshapes itself around whatever you look at the most. When you spend all day on short videos and mobile screens, your mind gets trained to expect fast, effortless stimulation or entertainment.As we get these fast rewards all the time, focusing on anything for more than a few minutes feels incredibly hard. It becomes a major struggle to do simple things like sit down with a book, get into a fun creative project, or even listen to what your friend is saying without wanting to check your phone. Your mind basically gets stuck on a loop. It automatically tells your hand to grab your device the exact second things get quiet, or you feel a little bored. This habit becomes so deeply rooted in your daily routine that you reach out to your phone even when it didn’t even ring or vibrate.The invisible emotional weightAside from ruining your focus, the online world completely changes how you feel about yourself and the people around you. Because social media feeds are always packed with everyone’s best, most edited highlights, you naturally end up judging your normal life against someone else’s perfect moments. This non-stop, quiet comparison slowly breaks down the confidence within young people. It leaves them with a weird sense of anxiety that stays with them even after the screens are off.Seeing what everybody else is doing 24/7 also makes everybody feel totally left out. On top of all that, this bad cycle messes with people’s sleep cycle. Spending your last hour of the night staring at a super bright screen tricks your brain into thinking the sun is still up, which pushes back your deep sleep and makes you wake up feeling completely exhausted the next morning.Reclaiming your time and focusDealing with this whole situation does not mean you have to throw away your phone, delete your accounts, or act like the internet does not exist. What the young generation needs is to change their views on these devices. It should be about these digital tools helping you grow instead of stealing your focus.An easy and practical way to start is by protecting the very first part of your morning. Try leaving your phone on the other side of the room for the first thirty minutes after you wake up. This gives your mind a chance to clear up and find its footing before the stress of the rest of the world rushes in.It is also just as important to clean up your digital circles. Go through your feeds and mute or unfollow any accounts that make you feel bad about yourself, annoyed, or insecure. Instead, try to only follow pages that actually teach you something useful or bring you real joy.The final wordsTaking control of your time gives you the space to build a life you actually love. Real success does not come from a feed, and original ideas do not come from an algorithm. They come from you. By logging off just a little bit more, you take back your focus, protect your peace, and prove that you run your life, not your phone. The future is yours to make, so look up and go get it.Shailendra Bhadauria, Chancellor, Pratap University, Jaipur (Rajasthan)
