Even at Princeton, the war against digital distraction is real

Sobering info from Princeton University shows just how distracted high-functioning students at an Ivy League school are in today's fast-paced, short-form digital world—and how some at the New Jersey institution are battling back.

In most cases, Ivy League students must possess immense focus, drive and high executive function simply to gain admission to such top-tier institutions. The assumption that these students can easily minimize distractions to achieve academic success isn't a big leap. 

Princeton's campus

That’s why a recent headline in The Daily Princetonian really caught my eye: "In an age of distraction, Princetonians adjust how they teach and learn." 

The opening paragraph immediately captured my attention. Angie Ling, a member of the Princeton class of 2026, reflected on her own decreasing attention span and a compulsive need to scroll:

"I definitely feel like my mind is wandering a little bit more compared to freshman year. With all the short-form content, like TikTok and Instagram Reels, etc., I think that's definitely had an impact on me... That's affected my ability to consume long-form content."

Her summation of that realization? "Damn." She continued with the sobering thought that it is "kind of sad, reflecting on that." 

The 'relentless scroll' in classrooms and beyond

I highly suggest taking the time to read the full article by Chris Braun and Nikki Han. The findings are startling. 

Here’s my summary. The Daily Princetonian's Frosh Survey, taken by about half of incoming students since 2020, found that these top-tier students spend an average of five hours a day on their phones. This "relentless scroll" of short-form videos, social media and sped-up content has significantly shortened students' attention spans.

Sarah Hu, a peer academic advisor, described the reality of trying to learn in this fast-paced digital environment. Hu even watches recorded lectures at twice the normal speed.

"My attention span is definitely very cooked. And that's what the short-form content is designed to do: make your brain like that, which is really terrible."

The 'negative externality’ of the screen

The impact is felt across the board. Gone are the days of simple doodling when bored. Now, even students trying to pay close attention to a lesson find the constant barrage of screens inescapable. As they try to take handwritten notes, they are surrounded by laptops used for gaming, shopping and endless other distractions that have nothing to do with the lesson being taught in the classroom.

Princeton University economics professor Ulrich Müller calls these distracted students a "negative externality": This behavior acts as a "signal to the other students that this is not interesting."

Professors strike back against digital distraction

Some Princeton professors are waging their own battles—not just against social media, but against AI. They have noticed students filtering lectures through ChatGPT for simple summations that even a child could understand rather than engaging with the complex material being taught. 

The DP notes that geosciences professor Christopher Griffin doesn’t use a textbook, makes course content difficult to find online and won’t post slides. The simple goal? To get students to “kind of have to pay attention,” Griffin said.

Some of the other tactics professors are using to combat digital distraction include technology-free classrooms, longer reading assignments, grade bonuses for just showing up to class without using a device and, on the flip side, more video intensive classrooms to meet students where they are.

What can we learn?

Again, I highly suggest giving this Princeton University-student produced article a full read. It's packed with quotes and musings about cultural mindset, friendships and the power of the human mind.

If you do meet the challenge and read the full piece, you'll find a perfect closing thought from Attending Peer Representative and Co-Chair of Peer Representatives Seryn Kim:

"We're here to get an education, and it's really important to have the patience and integrity and care… Just kind of reminding ourselves that we as humans have that ability to create and not just to consume."