The Silent Strains and Blurred Minds: A Study of Digital Screen Time, Mental Fatigue and Brain Fog among University Students

Abstract

This study aim to study the digital screen time on mental fatigue and brain fog among the university students. A sample of 1000 participants was taken using convenience sampling technique from Bachelor students in private and government universities of Pakistan. The students digital screen time was recorded in the demographic section of survey which was followed by the completion of the Mental Fatigue and Brain Fog Scales. The correlation and regression was done using SPSS-24. Results of Correlation analysis showed that there is relationship between the digital screen time, mental fatigue and brain fog. A weak but significant positive correlation was found between digital screen time and mental fatigue (r= .153, p < .001), as well as the digital screen time and brain fog (r= .198, p< .001). The strongest relationship was observed between mental fatigue and brain fog (r = .493, p< .001), which shows that as the mental fatigue increases so does the brain fog. All are statistically significant at the 0.01 level. The study showed the significant relationship between digital screen time, mental fatigue and brain fog. However, linear regression analysis showed that the digital screen time was a statistically significant predictor of mental fatigue. Furthermore, digital screen time significantly predicts of Brain fog. The results show the digital screen time significantly predict mental fatigue and brain fog. The Findings highlighted that promoting awareness of brain fog and balanced digital screen use is vital for students’ cognitive health and improved academic performance.