Op-Ed: ‘Digital Doritos’ Are Wrecking Our Brains
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Decades ago, Americans went through a major shift in how they understood the relationship between diet, exercise, and overall health. Today, Georgetown computer science professor Cal Newton argues that a similar shift is needed—this time focused on protecting the health of our brains.
In a recent essay for The New York Times, Newton says modern technology is rapidly eroding people’s ability to think deeply. He points to the constant presence of smartphones, short-form videos, and AI chatbots as forces reshaping how our minds work.
Newton compares today’s digital environment to the modern understanding of nutrition. Just as people have learned to limit highly processed foods, he says we should recognize that much of the digital content competing for our attention is similarly “ultraprocessed.” In the physical world, ultraprocessed snacks are engineered to be addictive. Online, algorithms sift through enormous collections of user-generated material, breaking it down and recombining it into personalized streams designed to keep users hooked.
Newton describes this type of content as the digital equivalent of junk food. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and X feed users a constant flow of short, attention-grabbing posts optimized to keep them watching and scrolling.
To counter this, Newton proposes what he calls a “digital nutrition” approach. His recommendations include significantly reducing exposure to ultraprocessed online content and supporting laws that limit social media use for children under 16. He also suggests making phone-free environments more common in places like schools, meetings, and homes, with devices kept in another room rather than carried in a pocket.
In addition, Newton argues people should strengthen their thinking abilities through daily mental exercise. He encourages reading books regularly and doing personal writing rather than relying on chatbots to produce ideas or text.
According to Newton, treating digital consumption with the same care people now apply to diet could help protect attention, creativity, and the ability to think clearly in an increasingly technology-driven world.
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