By James H. Legge III, APRN-CNP
Certified Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Center of Northwest Ohio

Cell phones, social media, group chats, and nonstop notifications have created a more connected and, in many ways, more efficient life. But they’re also portable distractions that we carry in our pockets, set on desks, bring to dinner, and integrate into nearly every aspect of our lives. When does the abundance of distractions turn from helpful to overwhelming, making us more distracted than ever?

Research increasingly demonstrates that smartphones can interfere with sustained attention and cognitive performance, even when we aren’t using them. Notifications can disrupt attention even when we do not respond to them, and simply having a smartphone available or visible can negatively affect attention and working memory. Part of our attention remains connected to the device even as we try to focus elsewhere.

This becomes increasingly complicated when we look at everyday life. Children often switch from school and homework to sports and activities, all while staying connected through group chats, gaming, videos, and social media. Adults experience similar transitions, moving between work emails, texts, family chats, calendars, news, and social media, often without noticing how frequently their focus shifts throughout the day.

We have become very good at filling the gaps between activities, yet these spaces once served a purpose. A quiet car ride allowed a child to look out the window, and waiting for practice offered chances to converse with other parents. Sitting outside means noticing the trees, weather, sounds, and people around us. Boredom itself created space to think, imagine, or simply decompress. Today, many of these small pauses are immediately filled by screens or devices, which can impact both productivity and relationships.

If we’re looking at something on a screen, we are giving less attention to what is happening around us. You may miss your child’s facial expression, your spouse’s subtle change in tone, or the opportunity to make eye contact with someone sitting across from you.

We don’t need to eliminate technology to avoid these repercussions. Instead, we need to become more intentional about creating resistance between ourselves and distraction. Turning off unnecessary notifications is a start. Putting the phone in another room while completing important work can remove small barriers. Families can establish periods where meals, conversations, or children’s activities are intentionally device-free.

We can also resist the instinct to fill every quiet moment. Take a walk without checking your phone. Watch the entire sports practice instead of scrolling from the bleachers. Sit outside for ten minutes, phone-free. Allow a child to be bored. These small actions can make a big difference.

Attention is more than a cognitive resource. It is one of the ways we communicate value. What we repeatedly look toward is what we repeatedly choose to prioritize. Reclaiming our attention does not require rejecting the digital world. We just need to remember that while we are looking at a screen, there is still an entire world around us asking to be noticed.