Dr. Hastürk’s Warning Professor Dr. Ashin Asan Hastürk, a brain and neurosurgery specialist at the Cancer Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, has given one sign of danger on social media. He is also extending the idea of the “FOMO” phenomenon he once famously aimed at the effects of continuous interaction with the social media platforms. However, as social media consumption is on the rise again throughout society from the youth to the adults, Hastürk does exclude anyone from this problem.
Social Media and 'Brain Rot': A Growing Concern
Dr. Hastürk also said that the “brain rot” is thus associated with this overload of content on social media platforms. He explained that this feed, full of information, dulls the brain and complicates its capacity to grasp or store valuable ideas. Although “brain rot” is not an officially recognized medical condition, it is a condition that resulted from overuse of the devices and causes the deterioration of a person's brain.
Other effects of social media include all these cognitive consequences that are based on the evidence given by Dr. Hastürk. Also, it results in privacy invasion, which sees individuals suppressed behind screens and away from interacting with other people. This disconnection is likely to enhance loneliness and therefore result in feelings of depression. So many people are becoming addicted to social media, and the effects it has on their emotional and cognitive well-being cannot be ignored by psychiatrists.
“Brain rot” gets more recognition. In December 2024, the Oxford Word of the Year was chosen to be “brain rot." Approved by a dictator and selected together with a bigger public, which was composed of more than 37,000 people, ‘brain rot’ raises concerns regarding adverse consequences of overemphasized display time. The recognition of the term demonstrates how endemic the problem has become and how much the public cares about the effects social media has on one’s psychological and thinking ability.
An Appeal Change Dr. Hastürk’s global call is for people to reassess their social media usage and understand the risks that are associated with page locking. In general, social networking sites have many advantages that allow a user to stay connected or share valuable data, but moderation is the question. With the increased cases of “brain rot,” it becomes hard for the individual and the society at large to balance the melodrama of getting online and being with the real world in order to have sound mental health.
The Rise of 'Brain Rot': Social Media’s Toll on Cognitive Health
When it comes to conversations linked to unhealthy social media engagement, Professor Dr. Aşkın Asan Hastürk has pointed to an issue now known as “brain rot.” He said that when one spends a lot of time on social media, scrolling through videos and a ton of content, it accumulates “junk “in the brain that hampers every function. This waste weakens an individual’s ability to concentrate and impairs thinking, thus shortening the life span of one’s brain.
Deciding on the Problem Hastürk explained that “brain rot” is an informal negative outcome of the increased Facebook usage, which consists of the obsessive checking of the notifications, the constant using of the phone, and the carelessness towards the personal relationships and hobbies. Such behavior overrides actual social interactions in individuals, generally resulting in their social exclusion and diminished sense of belonging. Because social networks are being integrated into everyday life, these negative habits are rapidly developing.
The Rising Incidence Due to the fact that social media has become a significant and indispensable aspect of people’s lives, the rate of such a condition as “brain rot” is growing steadily. Since Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are providing a new content feed all the time, the users cannot log out, and, as a consequence, they face the decline of the ability to think and feel. It has become a constant feature in people’s lives; that is why modern society can hardly exist without constant use of social media.
Vulnerable Groups: Another group of people vulnerable to “brain rot” is children and adolescents. According to Dr. Hastürk. According to the survey conducted in 2023 among children in the United States, the time young boys and girls spend on social networks increased from 40% to 70%, and children aged 6 to 14 became more active on social networks compared to previous years. Today youth spend 9 hours per day in the online environment, and this in turn can negatively affect the formation of their personality and valuable skills in their early years of development as a result of teenage years.
Measures Taken by Some Countries over the Problem: Realizing the Adverse Effects of Social Networks, Some Developed Countries in the West Have Started Taking Serious Measures to Curb What Is Referred to as ‘Brain Rot’ among Youths. Such measures include encouraging children and teenagers to spend less time on the social networks and encouraging the children to respond to civic life through genuine face-to-face interaction. Dr. The lessons to be learned to apply the bigger part of the above-mentioned strategies Hastürk recommends to be implemented all over the world to save the generations to come from the negative influences of engaging more than sufficiently in things digital.
Combating Brain Rot: A Call for Balanced Screen Time
Avoiding Addiction to Phones and Other Screens In her message to families, Professor Dr. Aşkın Asan Hastürk emphasizes that families have to actively fight the addition to the mobile phone and other screens in kids and teenagers. He points out that they have to set rules on how much time the children spend watching, playing, or interacting with screens and what they need to do in order to be healthier. If families set boundaries on how the devices are used, it will prevent children from being affected cognitively and emotionally by the screen's exposure.
Concrete recommendations for prevention According to Dr. Hastürk, there are several ways to prevent and limit the amount of screen time children spend, including the prohibition of leasing the mobile phones to persons below the age of sixteen years, taking the mobile phones at a certain time each night, and limiting the time required for the mobile phone usage. Also, he recommends that the internet should be shut down during bedtime or other family events, and this is very effective in minimizing the occasions when people spend ample time on the internet instead of paying each other face-to-face attention.
Again Hastürk pointed out that all adults, especially those who prepare kids for using screens, should set a pattern that they think is appropriate. Parents and caregivers should balance the use of technology and show how a hobby, relationship, or nonvirtual activity is vital. Inequalities in screen time must be managed by having no-device zones at home, for instance, the dinner table, so as to improve on the family’s communication and bonding.
Fighting Brain Rot Dr. Hastürk has identified several ways of fighting brain rot, of which the first way is human connections over social media. It will enable one to dedicate a considerable amount of time to maintaining genuine interactions with other people as well as work on other emotional assets that are not nurtured through displays of web-based communication. It becomes important to replace futile waste of time on social media with constructive communication and interaction.
Balancing Acts Technology In summary, it is important to avoid the so-called brain rot by limiting the screen time to a reasonable level according to Dr. Hastürk. We have learned that people should keep healthy screen habits, choose people over screens, and spend less time staring at our devices. He encourages society to find a right and healthy role with the technology, which implies that the technology devices should help rather than impede our well-being.
