Op-Ed: 'Digital Doritos' Are Wrecking Our Brains

Decades ago, Americans had a transformation in their understanding of how diet and exercise translate to overall health. Today, Georgetown computer science professor Cal Newton argues we need a similar health revolution specifically for our brains. In a New York Times essay, Newton argues that the age of tech—ubiquitous phones, short-form videos, AI chatbots—is quickly weakening our ability to think. He draws a comparison to nutrition:

• "In the world of physical health, we now know we should largely avoid ultraprocessed snacks," he writes. But "much of the digital content that ensnares our attention in the current moment is also ultraprocessed, in that it's the result of vast databases of user-generated content that are sifted, broken down and recombined by algorithms into personalized streams designed to be irresistible. What is a TikTok video if not a digital Dorito?"

Newport's "digital nutrition" fix: treat what our brains take in the way we have learned to treat junk food. He suggests largely cutting out "ultraprocessed" content like TikTok, Instagram, and X; backing laws to curb social media for under-16s; and normalizing phone-free schools, meetings, and homes (with your device parked in another room, not your pocket). He also calls for daily "cognitive cardio" through book reading and doing your own writing instead of outsourcing it to chatbots. Read the full essay.