Gadgets Dumb Teenagers

South Korean scientists say that ultra-new gadgets have a bad influence on the teenagers’ mental capacities.

The changes in teenagers’ mental abilities are comparable to those that occur in people who have had a head injury or a psychiatric illness. The experts believe that game devices and mobile phones are to blame for “dumbing” the youth.

Doctors warn about the emergence of a new problem called “digital dementia”: teenagers rely on their gadgets so much that they cannot remember plain information, such as phone numbers. Cognitive abilities reduce dramatically and match the level of psychiatric patients.

Meanwhile, Korea is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. Currently, one-fifth of the teens in Korea use smartphones for more than 7 hours a day.