Social Media is Stealing our Focus

Writer: Makayla Tashira Souw

Social Media as a Constant in Everyday Life

Nowadays, it is no surprise that social media has become an integrated part of people, especially teenagers’ lives. People may find social media as a fun way to interact with others online and catch up with news from all over the world, but they may not realize the effect of consuming too much social media on their daily lives. 

As of February 2025, there are 107.69 millions (more than half of the population) of active TikTok users in Indonesia. This means that hours of short-form content are being consumed by people, without realizing the negative impact those contents have on their attention spans. 

Focus? Gone!

A study done in 2024 by Gadjah Mada University students shows that continuous exposure to short-form content on social media have impacted students’ academic performance negatively. Teenage students who consume short-form content on the daily have proven to be performing worse on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey. 

Another experiment to prove the correlation between the usage of TikTok and attention span was done in Indonesia. The attention span of 155 teenage participants who regularly watch short-form TikTok videos was studied. Out of the 155 participants, only 4.5%, or 7 people were proven to still have a high attention span. From this experiment, we can conclude that the more TikTok videos someone watches, the lower their attention spans will be.

Is Attention Span Even Important?

Attention span is our ability to concentrate on a single task without getting sidetracked, and it’s essential for us to learn, process information, and engage with others properly. Of course it’s important! Without a good attention span, we could get easily distracted, and this could prevent us from getting anything done.

How Can We Fix Our Attention Span?

We can improve our attention span by doing these simple steps:

1. Get enough sleep

At least 6 hours of sleep is required for us to be able to focus.

2. Eat nourishing brain foods

Foods that are rich in nutrients can support our cognitive function, enabling us to focus.

3. Focus on one task at a time

In contrast to popular belief, multitasking is bad for us, as it makes it harder for our brain to focus. Try finishing one task at a time for maximum results.

4. Take breaks

Trying to focus for too long can be tiring, so make sure to take frequent breaks to avoid overwhelming your brain.

5. Limit social media usage

Last but not least, don’t forget to limit your social media usage! Checking your social media frequently for a few minutes may seem harmless, but it will deter your attention.

REFERENCES

Statista. (2025, February 13). Countries with the most TikTok users 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299807/number-of-monthly-unique-tiktok-users/

Salma. (2024, June 11). UGM Students Research Impact of TikTok content on student literacy Skills. Universitas Gadjah Mada. https://ugm.ac.id/en/news/ugm-students-research-impact-of-tiktok-content-on-student-literacy-skills/

Christian, D., & Budiarto, Y. (2024). HUBUNGAN DURASI TIKTOK DAN RENTANG PERHATIAN PADA PENGGUNA AKTIF DI USIA DEWASA MUDA. PAEDAGOGY Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan Dan Psikologi, 4(4), 311–318. https://doi.org/10.51878/paedagogy.v4i4.3804

Sullivan, A. (2024, September 19). Attention Span: What is it and How Does it Work? Novakid Blog. https://www.novakidschool.com/blog/attention-span/

Lorioswald. (2023, June 22). 13 Top tips for improving focus and attention span. Post University. https://post.edu/blog/tips-for-improving-focus-and-attention-span/