AI and Social Media Linked to 'Brain Rot' and Declining Cognitive Skills

Imagine your brain is like a muscle that needs exercise to stay strong.

When you only use easy tools, like AI that gives you answers directly, your brain doesn't get much of a workout.

Some studies show that people who rely too much on these tools for tasks like writing essays don't remember what they wrote as well as those who do the work themselves.

Similarly, spending lots of time on social media watching short videos can make it harder to focus on reading or learning difficult things.

This can lead to 'brain rot,' a term for when our brains feel tired or less sharp from too much easy internet content.

Researchers are worried this is happening as reading scores go down.

They suggest using AI as a helper for small tasks, not a replacement for thinking, and taking breaks from screens to do things like read books or play outside.