Research and Data on the Impact of Human Change on Childhood
This page brings together data-backed research, surveys, and statistical evidence documenting the far-reaching effects of Human Change – the cultural shift in which children’s core development and understanding of relationships are unfolding behind screens and shaped by addictive algorithms.
The research presented here demonstrates that Human Change is happening now. Across education, psychology, public health and social science, the evidence shows that excessive screen exposure and digital dependency are affecting children’s intellectual, emotional and social skills.
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Digital Addiction
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Addiction
1 in 4adolescents use their smartphones in ways that are consistent with behavioral addiction
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Disconnection
1hrper day children spend outside – that's less time than prisoners.
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Habitual Checking
☑️frequent social-media checking in adolescents alters brain chemistry and heightens sensitivity to social feedback
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Sleeping Patterns
1 in 5young people wake up at night to check social media, making them 3x more likely to feel tired at school
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Time Lost
35hrsthe amount of time teens spend on smartphones- equal to a full-time job
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Digital Distractions
🔔lead to higher stress, reduced productivity, and a superficial understanding of information
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Digital Multitasking
🧑💻multiscreen use is linked to weaker memory, less attention, and more impulsivity in adolescents
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IRL Interactions
1hrless per day on in-person interaction spent by 12th-graders today compared to GenX
Epidemic of Loneliness
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Family Ties
🤖❤️greater perceived support from an AI chatbot is linked to lower perceived support from friends and family
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Loneliness
60%higher risk of premature death is linked to insufficient social connection
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Escapism
42%of students admit that they've chatted to AI as "a way to escape real life"
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Chatbots & Loneliness
💔the more time users spend talking to ChatGPT, the lonelier they feel
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Loneliness
30%of young people don't know how to make friends
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Online Personality
46%of GenZ Americans feel their online personality is different from their real self
Loss of Essential Life Skills
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Heart Disease
At 10each additional hour of screen time is linked to higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes
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Digital Distractions
🔔lead to higher stress, reduced productivity, and a superficial understanding of information
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Attention
ADHDhigher levels of screen time are associated with an increased likelihood of ADHD-like symptoms
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Development
At 3just one minute of screen time is linked to seven fewer words and five fewer vocalizations
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AI Schoolwork
📝🤖students using AI to draft essays for several months showed reduced critical thinking and memory retention
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Critical Thinking
⚡📱digital overuse can lead to a decrease in thinking skills and impaired decision-making abilities
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Language Delay
🎥rapidly paced, high-frame-rate videos with flashing images and limited language can cause language delays
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Cognitive Offloading
64%of children use AI chatbots for everything from schoolwork to practising tough conversations
Societal Change
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Trust
48%of experts believe AI will mostly harm humanity's trust in widely shared cultural values and norms
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Unemployment
13%employment decline seen among early-career workers in AI-exposed jobs
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Entry-Level AI
43%of business leaders plan to cut junior roles due to AI efficiencies
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Fertility Rates
🧒👶in 2025, the United Nations declared global fertility rates in “unprecedented decline”
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AI Romance
19%of students in K-12 have used AI to have a romantic relationship
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Tech Jobs Falling
53%drop in UK tech graduate roles projected by 2026