How to Prevent Popcorn Brain and Smartphone Addiction: Tips and Strategies

2023-07-06 11:00:00

Digital devices are indispensable in the daily life of modern people. This series was planned to ‘log out’ from various diseases caused by digital devices and media. We deliver fruitful information to keep you healthy in a daily life obsessed with digital devices.

Recently, ‘Short-form’, which consists of short videos of regarding 1 minute, is popular. Short form often contains provocative content because it needs to attract viewers’ attention in a short period of time. Experts are concerned that such content might adversely affect brain development and mental health. In particular, stimulating content causes smartphone addiction and induces the popcorn brain phenomenon, so caution is required.

Short-form viewing causes smartphone addiction and popcorn brain phenomenonㅣSource: Getty Image Bank
What is ‘Popcorn Brain’?
‘Popcorn brain’ is a term coined by Professor David Levy of the Graduate School of Information at the University of Washington, USA, and was first introduced by CNN in 2011. Just as popcorn explodes when it meets heat, the phenomenon in which the brain responds only to intense stimuli and becomes insensitive to daily life is called ‘popcorn brain’.

When exposed to stimulating images, the frontal lobe of the brain responds and dopamine is secreted. The problem is that the more you are exposed to it, the more you develop a tolerance and seek greater stimulation and lose interest in your daily life. It becomes difficult to read long sentences, and symptoms of not being able to concentrate on one action for a long time appear.

In addition, short-form viewing is known to induce tic-like behavioral syndrome. This is a syndrome in which tics and similar actions are repeated unconsciously while immersed in watching.

This phenomenon becomes more severe with age. This is because the younger the brain, the more active the brain development, and the greater the effect on the frontal lobe. In particular, in infancy, when the brain is not properly developed, it slows down the emotional development of communicating with others or makes it difficult to develop concentration and patience.

It’s good to set the viewing time
In order to prevent side effects caused by short-form viewing, it is good to set a time to watch. Toddlers should not be watched for more than 30 minutes at a time and 1 hour per day. For teenagers, we recommend watching no more than 2 hours a day.

Experts cite popcorn brain as one of the causes of smartphone addiction. If your child shows symptoms of smartphone addiction, it is a good way to help parents manage their time.

The following is the ‘Adolescent Smartphone Addiction Risk Self-diagnosis Scale’ developed by the National Information Society Agency. For each question, answer △not at all (1 point) △disagree (2 points) △yes (3 points) △very much so (4 points) to add up the points. A score of 41 or less is a general user group, a score of 42 to 44 is a potential risk user group, and a score of 45 or more is a high risk user group.

Smartphone Addiction ChecklistㅣSource: Haidak

Smartphone Addiction ChecklistㅣSource: Haidak

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