Screens aren’t the problem, it’s what’s on them that’s rotting our brains

Technology is just a tool. Like every tool, it can make us better or it can waste our time. So the real question isn’t how much of it we use – it’s what we use it for, says Bhav Singh We’ve spent years arguing about the impact of screen time on kids’ development, but I can’t help thinking that we’ve been arguing about the wrong thing.

Every few weeks there’s another debate about banning phones or limiting social media. It’s an easy argument to have because screens are right there in front of us. But screens aren’t the problem.

It’s the brainrot we’ve filled them with. Technology is just a tool. Like every tool, it can make us better or it can waste our time.

So the real question isn’t how much of it we use – it’s what we use it for. The best technology should help us become a little better than yesterday. Over the last decade I’ve been lucky enough to work with founders, brands and teams who’ve been obsessed with exactly this challenge.

At Sandbox, we started by helping children develop capabilities they’ll carry through life, and today we’re applying that same thinking much more broadly – from cognitive performance and healthier habits to resilience, wellbeing and helping people thrive in a rapidly changing world. One idea keeps coming back: engagement by design. Skills by stealth.

Imagine if the same ingenuity that’s gone into keeping us endlessly scrolling went into helping us sleep better, think more clearly, become more resilient, manage our money more wisely, strengthen our relationships or just develop healthier habits. My son Aryan loves chess. Every game he plays against AI makes him better, not worse.

That’s exactly the kind of screen time we should be encouraging. The next generation of great businesses will win by helping us make better use of the time we’re already spending on our screens. Less noise, less distraction.

More curiosity, more humanity. Adults need to build skills, but also habits One shot of learning at the start of your life is not enough