Like many of us, for the past year or so, I've felt sluggish in my day-to-day life. My motivation and memory (qualities that I use the most in work and relationships) are what seem to have declined the most, so it was important to me to figure out what I can do differently. I analyzed my habits for a week and discovered that my screen time had increased significantly! Upon further research, I learned that this decline is not only fairly common, but also has been given the term digital dementia.

While investigating digital dementia, I discovered that not only does it affect motivation and memory, but also reading, writing, goal setting, and higher order thinking! As a teacher, my immediate thought went to children and how virtual learning could have affected them in addition to their watching videos and playing video games. My best guess is that during the school year, children's screen time average could have been higher than nine hours per day. To put this in perspective, I calculated mine at seven hours per day feeling these negative effects and my brain is fully developed.

To combat digital dementia personally, I've made sure to plan my day in a way that limits my screen time in addition to reading physical books. I've also begun to rediscover outdoor and indoor activities that don't involve screens. It's important that we provide children activities to resist digital dementia as well - including learning opportunities.

At Best Brains Learning Center Bloomfield Hills, we're so excited to offer in-person classes to children, so they are not using a screen while improving their math, reading, and writing skills. They are working with the same certified and degreed teacher week after week in our full-color materials with a pencil! Our students are still engaged because our materials incorporate pictures and puzzles, and our teachers help them stay immersed in their learning while actively teaching them new concepts. Their excitement and motivation is evident and I absolutely love watching their eyes sparkle as they run to us excited to learn!