FOMO vs Focus
Kids today sit down to read, ready to enjoy a new book, but something keeps getting in the way. They try to focus, but their minds wander, unable to fully engage with the story. There’s this constant feeling in the back of their heads, a voice whispering, “You’re missing out on something important!” Before they know it, the book is set aside, and their phone is in hand, ready to scroll.
This feeling is known as Fear of Missing Out, or FOMO, and it’s one of the biggest obstacles kids face when it comes to deep reading. FOMO keeps them from fully immersing themselves in a book because they’re constantly switching their attention from the text to their phones, worried they’re missing something exciting online. This habit destroys the focus needed for thoughtful, reflective reading.
Scientists define FOMO as “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent.” It creates a very real sense of anxiety, and social media platforms thrive on it. A 2019 study found that people who are more addicted to social media are also more likely to experience FOMO, often because social media can generate envy. Kids, like everyone else, don’t like the idea of others having fun without them.
Phones, then, become anxiety-generating machines, especially when kids don’t have them around. The fear of not having a phone, known as nomophobia, negatively affects self-esteem, increases stress and anxiety, and can even hurt academic performance.
So why is FOMO such a problem when it comes to reading? The constant switching of attention between the book and the phone disrupts focus, particularly when kids read on screens. This constant self-interruption wreaks havoc on short-term memory, making it nearly impossible to stay engaged with the book and remember the original intention of sitting down to read.
When FOMO takes over, kids lose the ability to be alone with their thoughts. They forget the joy of sitting quietly with a book, of engaging deeply enough to spark their own growth and ideas about the world.
The Undistractable program can help reduce the subtle anxiety that lets FOMO take control. By practicing mindfulness, kids can learn to minimize interruptions, deepen their focus, and read thoughtfully and reflectively for longer periods. In other words, they can learn to love reading while also experiencing the joy that comes from learning to overcome distractions.