Faltering focus – what’s going on with children and young people?
In recent years, challenges related to concentration among children and young people have increased significantly. This phenomenon is not limited to Finland and is prevalent in Western societies. It is impacted by individual and structural factors that shape the everyday life of young people and their brain development.
In the Muutoksen tekijät podcast, the Research Director of our wellbeing services county Silja Kosola and Chief Physician Kaija Malk explain the background, diagnosis process and prevention of the phenomenon.
Several background factors
Challenges in concentration are not just an individual-level problem, but reflect broader societal changes. Changes in health habits, such as reduced sleep, lack of physical activity and increased screen time, make it harder to concentrate. Also, the change in learning environments towards more open models that emphasise self-direction can be especially challenging for children who need more structure and guidance.
“There have been clear changes in the environment that affect children’s ability to concentrate – especially when it comes to sleep, exercise, screen time and learning arrangements,” Malk says.
Kosola describes the experience of young people aptly:
“They say that they have ‘ping pong brain’ or ‘brain rot’. These expressions indicate what everyday life can feel like when you’re bombarded by continuous stimuli.”
Diagnosis is not always necessary
The podcast emphasises that the first priority is not a diagnosis, but getting a comprehensive understanding of the situation. Concentration difficulties can be caused by many different reasons and should not be automatically interpreted as neuropsychiatric disorders. It is important that situations are assessed comprehensively and from a clean slate. An extensive initial assessment looking at factors such as the quality of sleep, nutrition, family life and challenges in school helps to identify actual support needs, making it possible to address the situation in the right way. Only then it is possible to assess whether there is a need for diagnostics.
“We don’t want to call it ADHD screening; instead, we talk about mapping out challenges that impact concentration,” says Malk.
Kosola illustrates the situation by comparing it with healthcare processes:
“If a patient comes to a doctor because of stomach pain, they don’t screen for cancer first. With that same logic, challenges with concentration should be investigated thoroughly first.”
Screen time and parents’ role
Screen time is one of the key factors affecting the concentration of children and young people. Studies have shown that a maximum of one hour of screen time per day is recommended for children under school age, and a two-hour limit during free time is also a good rule of thumb for young people. It is important that parents monitor not only the amount of screen time but also its content.
“No screen time is recommended for children under the age of 2, and an hour per day is a lot even for young schoolchildren – especially considering how families often don’t have that much time to spend together,” Kosola points out.
Parents’ own screen time habits have a direct impact on their child’s development. Kosola emphasises that if a parent is not genuinely present, the child does not receive the necessary interaction. This may be reflected later in speech development, emotional regulation and behaviour.
Prevention: everyday routines and tolerating boredom
The ability to concentrate is not just an individual characteristic – it stems from support from your community and surroundings. Parents, schools and society have to work together to create a framework where children and young people can concentrate, grow and feel well.
The ability to concentrate can be supported by simple but consistent everyday choices. Getting enough sleep, having a regular daily routine, doing exercise and outdoor activities and getting healthy nutrition are the foundation of well-being. Tasks requiring focus should be scheduled for times when you are the most alert.
Tolerating boredom is also a skill that is worth cultivating – imagination needs space to develop. Kosola encourages parents to give children room to get bored:
“If your child comes to you saying that there’s nothing to do and they’re bored, it doesn’t mean that you as the parent should immediately start to entertain them. When you give them a moment, their imagination will get going, she says encouragingly.”
- Family centre