Learned Helplessness in Gen Alpha Children: What is it and What can Parents Do to Minimize its Effects?
- Janet Li
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Giving up due to minor inconveniences, throwing tantrums when asked to do something, inability to think or focus…this Buzzfeed article shares accounts from various teachers who have claimed to observe these trends among kids today. While it may be tempting to panic and believe these accounts apply to every child, the aforementioned article should not be interpreted as the full picture nor current research surrounding the topic.
Generation alpha is widely known as the first generation of kids to grow up surrounded by short-form content and easy access to AI. When children overrely on not just technology, but also parents and teachers for decision-making, it can lead to the development of learned helplessness. Learned helplessness occurs when a person feels like they have no control over decision-making, altering their motivation systems and leading them to feel unmotivated, give up easily, and wait for help rather than solving a problem on their own. This is one of the factors that may be contributing to the patterns teachers are observing. This blog investigates the phenomenon of learned helplessness among gen alpha and how parents can support their children to protect against negative effects.
While modern technologies are not the cause of learned helplessness, this issue has been complicated with increased early access to the internet and AI. Specifically, the APA notes that AI use encourages “cognitive offloading”, which occurs when we use external tools to reduce mental effort needed to complete a task. Research shows that cognitive offloading can actually offer benefits such as improved performance, showing that AI and the internet itself is not the problem. Rather, it is the way these tools are commonly used by children that leads to decreased critical thinking skills. When AI and the internet is used in a way to solve problems for you and think for you rather than aiding in a problem-solving process, it has been found to decrease critical thinking skills rather than enhance it. Especially when excessively used in early childhood, it can increase behaviors like learned helplessness, such as the inability to solve problems individually.
Similarly, research strongly supports that frequent exposure to short-form content and other forms of digital gratification are linked to lower attention spans and poorer exam performance. Reading and math scores among students have decreased 83% and 70% respectively in the past decade. This decline began in the mid-2010s when phones and social media became popularized. As such, increased use of screens is thought to be one of the factors contributing to the country’s declining scores. For example, lower attention spans and increased sensitivity to distractions can negatively affect a child’s ability to focus in class, making it harder to learn.
What can parents do?
Encourage creative play: Creative, open-ended activities such as drawing and block building are opportunities for a child to develop their own ideas, concentrate, and work towards a goal they are motivated towards.
Be supportive during challenges: It’s important that challenges are framed as learning experiences rather than a sign of failure. Learned helplessness can arise due to repeated failures, so guiding a child through setbacks is important. Rather than solving a problem for them, when your child asks for help, when possible, try to guide them through the problem-solving process by prompting ideas, such as by brainstorming solutions together.
Set screen time limits & boundaries: Excessive screen time can negatively affect focus and other aspects of health, such as sleep. Setting an appropriate screen time and talking with your child about appropriate and safe use is important. When children are very young, it can be beneficial to monitor the content they consume and watch content with them.
Reading: Recreational reading has been shown to have many benefits, such as improved critical thinking abilities, grammar, vocabulary, and focus as well as increased knowledge.
Encourage boredom: Allowing your child to feel bored allows their brain to rest and encourages creativity, including problem solving. You can even encourage activities that allow them to disconnect, such as meditation.
Takeaways
While it may appear as though kids today are losing cognitive skills such as critical thinking, which can be concerning, there are a number of ways parents can support their child’s cognitive development, such as through guiding them through challenges. It’s also important to remember to always do your own research surrounding a topic rather than believing everything on the internet.
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