Between Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and countless notifications, we are all over the place. Other generations say Gen Z has the attention span of a goldfish. But is that true? 

Freshman Layla Shokrian said, “Yes, 100%  [social media apps] has definitely had an impact on my focus and attention span.”

From all the different apps we have on our phones and tablets, our brains get used to switching from app to app. This makes it difficult to pay attention in classes or read for a long period of time. It can feel really boring to just sit down and pay attention in class.

Shokrian stated, “I can only concentrate for up to 15 minutes before I get distracted.”

Freshman Sophiann Miller stated, “I get distracted easily in classes unless I am in a quiet environment.”

Freshman Alea Marcus stated, “Yes, I tend to get distracted easily [while reading long books].” 

But does this really mean we can’t pay attention at all? We tend to focus differently from others. When something is intriguing to us, such as a good show, song, or video game, we can be focused for hours. Gen Z is also shown to be good at multitasking, such as texting during a movie or listening to music while doing homework.

In conclusion, Gen Z doesn’t have as bad an attention span as we all think we do; it is just very different from other generations. Gen Z grew up with access to the internet when many of the other generations didn’t have technology growing up, meaning our brains work quickly but also get bored quickly.