What is the 'digital dementia' epidemic?

The amount of alarms I have on my phone is insane, and they go off all day long. How many alarms could go off throughout the day? I would say 10. 10 alarms a day, and that's just the beginning. From work deadlines to daily errands, smartphones serve as our external brains. I have a spot in notes where I keep all my to-dos because I don't remember. I feel like that's my lifeline. Everything's on there. For many Gen Z college students, relying on digital reminders is the only lifestyle they've ever known. I even have alarms for nighttime if I have anything due by 12. No more so than ever before, we're using our phones to remember birthdays and... appointments and even grocery lists, but you don't even have to lift a finger at this point to do so. Watch this. Hey Siri, please set an alarm to remind me to watch my story tonight on Fox 5 at five o'clock. Done. Convenient, right? But are we giving our brains too much time off? We're constantly shifting from one task to another, from one app to another, And that makes it difficult to. Retain information. Researchers refer to this phenomenon as digital dementia. While not a medical diagnosis, psychologists warn that excessive screen reliance alters attention spans and impairs how we process information. It should free up some time and mental capacity for other things, but I worry that it's freeing up time for more phone use. People I spoke with acknowledge that constant phone reliance weakens their memory. Do you think phones are making you more forgetful? Yes, they are. Because otherwise, if I rely on too much of these things, then my brain is going to be, you know, dead. Psychologist Dr. Pinto emphasizes that addressing digital overload doesn't require abandoning smartphones. It's knowing when to put them down. Put the phone in another room when you're trying to work on something that involves close attention or when you're trying to learn something new. Technology remembers everything for us until we forget how to remember for our... yourselves. On Long Island, Jody Goldberg, Fox 5 News.