Are UHS students' brains rotting?

By Tanisha Gupta

Yes the students’ brains are rotting if you want your answer

-editor’s note

A conversation with AI

In an era where technology is everywhere we look, there's a growing discussion on whether teenagers are losing their intellectual edge that their parents possessed. The very innovation that was made to expand our own potential is slowly robbing brain cells of the next generation of doctors, engineers, and entrepreneurs.

We see this unfolding in our own classrooms. AI tools (particularly ChatGPT) have changed how students approach assignments and tasks forever. A simple and convenient ‘control C, control V’ has created a culture of plagiarism in schools led by students who can avoid work with no consequences. However, there are dire consequences to these “trivial actions”. Instead of having to write code or articulate a response for their literature analysis on a poem, students have become reliant on AI to do the work for them. This dependence stops students from developing important skills like analysis, writing, and critical thinking that are all essential for their success in the future. In the end, the much loved ChatGPT will be harming their biggest fans as they struggle in exams and tests without access to AI resources.

Moreover, the continuous consumption of short and addictive content (such as Tiktoks) is frying the youth’s attention span. Students are so used to getting that hit of dopamine with every scroll that paying attention for the entirety of a 50 minute lesson has become challenging. The constant gratification from mindlessly scrolling has resulted in anything that requires the slightest brain power to be dismissed as “too hard”. We have been told that our minds are our most valuable possession but does this still stand true now when our cognitive abilities are falling apart? Gen Z’s inability to work on complex tasks with the attention and discipline the way teens could in the past highlights our intellectual downfall.

Additionally, addiction to social media is contributing to a decline in meaningful, intellectually stimulating hobbies. Sports, reading, puzzles and music are often ways people entertain themselves but when mindlessly scrolling through Instagram and watching the newest Gen Alpha brain rot is considered leisure nowadays, it is clear where the lack of smarts in teens is coming from.

This now brings us to our burning question: Are UHS students’ brains rotting? Or are we perhaps immune to phenomena affecting teens around the world? According to data collected from UHS students, 39% admit to using ChatGPT on a regular basis to assist or complete assignments for them. Social media has made some effect on 85% of students' attention spans and 46% of students’ engagement and consistency on their hobbies. Though these statistics are quite concerning and don’t represent UHS students in a positive light, it is important to note that pointing out these issues present an opportunity for intervention. As AI and technology will continue to grow in popularity, it is crucial that UHS students learn to work with these modern tools before they entirely consume and destroy them.