No one can escape the stories from older generations about what life was like when they were growing up. They talk about walking miles to get anywhere, playing outside until the sun went down, or buying a soda for a nickel.

And sometimes, those stories come with the reminder that “back then” there was no such thing as ADHD, or food allergies, or emotional trauma, etc. If you’re lucky, they may even suggest that if parents tried a bit harder or used a little more discipline, children these days would be able to sit still and pay attention. Bless their hearts.

The truth is that the kind of attention kids (and adults) need to thrive today is not the same type of attention that was required 30 or 50 years ago. Our society/environment has changed so dramatically that the “old model” of attention (sit still, focus for long stretches, ignore distractions) is only one part of the picture now.

Kids aren’t “worse” at paying attention. They are navigating a world that demands faster switching, more self‑regulation, and more filtering than ever before.

Turning Hybrid

Success today requires a hybrid attention skillset. The modern environment demands a mix of:

• Sustained attention – the ability to stick with a task long enough to understand it, solve it, or create something meaningful; serves as the foundation for learning anything complex; necessary for reading, writing, and problem solving

• Flexible attention – cognitive shifting; being able to shift from one activity to another without getting overwhelmed; seen when navigating digital tools, moving between online and offline work, or adapting to instructional changes
  
  
• Selective attention – the skill to filter out distractions to focus on key information; keeps attention steady in loud or busy settings
  
  
• Meta-attention – the awareness of when attention drifts and the ability to redirect it; kids rely on it to self‑regulate and stay on task, especially when using technology
  
  
• Creative attention – generative focus; the ability to explore, imagine, brainstorm, and make connections; required for storytelling, innovation, and designing

Today’s society requires the ability to focus deeply, filter distractions, shift intentionally, and monitor our own attention. Even though earlier generations used these skills too, the demands are different now. Let me explain.

Changing Landscapes

Every generation is altered by its own “attention ecosystem,” which influences focus, interests, and boredom tolerance. Baby Boomers grew up with fewer entertainment choices and mostly linear media, building strong endurance for monotony, deep reading, and long stretches of effort. Gen Z, on the other hand, has been shaped by smartphones and short‑form, algorithm‑driven media, resulting in impressive rapid‑scanning abilities but less built‑in stamina for slow, demanding tasks (unless it’s deliberately practiced).

Technological development and rapid innovation have been the central force propelling these major shifts over the past several decades.:

• Tech Speed > Human Development. Across generations, the most dramatic change has been the speed and intensity of technology. This rapid acceleration has retrained attention, shifting it from long‑form, sustained focus toward rapid scanning and frequent switching.
  
  
• The Rise of the Smartphones. Research shows that digital devices have sharply increased interruptions and shortened the time people can stay on a single task. Constant notifications, multitasking, endless content, and social‑media reward loops create an environment where attention is fragmented and continually pulled off course.
  
  
• Overstimulation. Earlier generations had long stretches of boredom because entertainment was limited, and that downtime naturally strengthened attention stamina. Today’s kids and teens rarely experience boredom because content is always available, algorithms tailor stimulation to their interests, and switching between activities takes almost no effort. As a result, they lose the built‑in “training ground” that once helped develop sustained attention.
  
  
• Societal Expectations. Generational environments have remodeled expectations for how attention should work. For instance, Gen X grew up in the early multitasking era while Millennials adapted to constant digital communication (which explains why we check email at midnight). Today, Gen Alpha is developing within AI‑assisted, seamless interfaces from early childhood. Each environment emphasizes different attention skills, changing what becomes practiced and valued.
  
  
• Shift to Online Social Interactions. Face‑to‑face interaction helps regulate attention through eye contact, turn‑taking, and rich social cues. Digital communication removes many of these anchors, making attention more fragmented and harder to sustain.
  
  
• Shift in Entertainment. Short‑form videos, fast‑paced games, and algorithmic feeds train the brain to expect quick novelty, high stimulation, and minimal effort. As a result, slower and more demanding tasks feel harder, even though the brain can handle them with practice and intentional training. Raise your hand if you can’t tolerate commercials or ad breaks anymore.
  
  
• Higher Executive Function Demands. Modern life demands constant task switching, digital navigation, self‑regulation, and filtering of distractions (tasks requiring executive functions). However, children develop these skills far slower than technology advances, creating a clear mismatch between what the world requires and what developing brains are ready to manage.

Attention hasn’t declined, despite what older generations may claim. It has simply adapted to the environment each generation grew up in. Earlier generations strengthened their focus in a world that required patience, while younger generations are shaped by a world that rewards rapid scanning and constant novelty. Both reflect attention skills molded by their surroundings.

A Note on ADHD

Generational shifts do not cause ADHD, despite what some may claim.

First off, ADHD itself hasn’t suddenly appeared. It’s a neurodevelopmental condition with strong genetic roots that has existed across generations, long before smartphones or fast‑paced media.

The real difference that older generations might be referring to is how ADHD appears in daily life, how early it is noticed, and how often it is diagnosed. This means rising diagnoses reflect better detection and shifting demands, not an actual increase in how many people have ADHD.

In essence, today’s digital landscape didn’t create ADHD, it just made it harder to hide. As life gets faster, louder, and full of constant interruptions, kids with ADHD have a harder time keeping up, and the difference between them and kids without ADHD becomes easier to see. That’s why it can seem like ADHD is increasing, even though the biology behind it hasn’t changed.

Another note is that our population, cities, and suburbs are growing faster. The US population in 1965, 1985, 2005, and today are 194M, 238M, 295M, and 342M respectively. That’s 150M more people than when our parents were growing up. That creates an environment that is faster, louder, and busier as well.

Think about your own graduating class. In our public schools in 2003, we graduated with 400-500 seniors. Now those big public high schools are tipping at 600-700 students per grade. So while it may seem like more and more kids are getting diagnosed with something, the truth is that neighborhoods, schools, and social groups are bigger and we overall know and keep in touch with more people than we did before. Add in all of the strangers/influencers we follow online and the whole “I don’t know anyone who has that…” statement really becomes futile.

In Conclusion

Kids today are not broken, and older adults are not necessarily out of touch; they are simply drawing from very different worlds. Each generation’s attention reflects the environment it grew up in, which is why conversations about these changes work best when they build understanding rather than conflict.

No matter how we explain it, the core message remains the same: kids’ brains haven’t changed, the world around them has, and attention naturally adapts to the environment that shapes it.

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