Latest news with #Berkett
RNZ News
22-04-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Kiwis feeling panicked over phone notifications
Photo: 123rf A recent survey from the United States shows half of all adults feel overrun by the number of times their phones pings them with notifications. Research commissioned by New Zealand telecommunications company 2Degrees also found that 38 percent of Kiwis under the age of 30 feel not just overwhelmed, but panicked and anxious about the number of notifications they get. Neuroscientist and Digital Wellbeing Expert Kathryn Berkett told Checkpoint the data from the US survey is relevant to New Zealand. "We can get just as many notifications, and we've got teenagers with just the same brains as they have in the US." The generation most overwhelmed by notifications in the survey was Gen Z, she said. "One thing we know about the adolescent brain is dopamine, which we all get from those pings, those 75 you got today, you get a little dopamine rush every time," Berkett said. "Dopamine can be nearly twice as sensitised in adolescence, so of course there's so much more drive to get much more reward." She said although at first notifications can give a person a dopamine hit, once the notification is opened, anxiety can kick in. "I don't know if you indulge in a little red wine on the weekend maybe. It feels good at first, but what if you overdo it, or if you don't have it?" Many notifications are coming from social media, particularly for Gen Z, she said. "So, informing them that somebody has liked them. Somebody wants to know where they are or be with them," Berkett said. "That whole connection thing, which is really important to the adolescent brain, but certainly increases the addiction profile and also the unexpected nature of it." She said being able to control the number of notifications someone receives a day could be positive. "Obviously, we all want to keep in touch. We all want to be in touch. So, notifications are fantastic," Berkett said. "But if I choose to go in every half an hour and look at my notifications, I'm still going to find out everything. But I'm in control and that will significantly change the anxiety." When Berkett does training around self-care, she tells people to restrict the number of notifications they receive late at night. "We can all get that sort of anxiety from it. But again, it's about if we control it and we're ready to go in and we're nice and calm when we go in, even if it's a negative or difficult thing for work. If we're in the right headspace, we're going to approach it differently." She said other ways people can restrict notifications is to be aware of how many times they're checking their phones and changing the sounds. "My kids are older now, but when they were younger, I still remember playing a game. We're playing a board game, and my daughters phone pinged, and she goes, 'I've got to get it.' I said 'no, you don't, you leave it,' and she goes, 'oh, can I?' "My phone pings and I don't even go and look at it or I don't notice that I've trained myself to not be a monkey to the ping. I'll get to that when I want." People can re-train their responses to notifications, she said. "So, maybe you do know there's a notification there. Change the sounds so you know which ones are important which aren't." "You do want to have them on, but there's so much we can do to just reduce that constant interruption into our world, taking us off task, keeping us in a hyper vigilant space and then we wonder why we can't focus or relax." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
22-04-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Stop The Pings: Half Of Kiwis Overwhelmed By Notifications
Press Release – 2Degrees NO-tifications is the latest initiative from 2degrees Fairer Phones Project, as part of its ongoing commitment to support healthier relationships with phones. The telco is calling on Kiwis to take action. Every day, New Zealanders are bombarded by a relentless flood of notifications. Social media, emails, and app alerts disrupt focus, invade downtime, and fragment attention. Research commissioned by 2degrees now reveals that 50% of Kiwis feel overrun by notifications. For Gen Z, the first generation to grow up entirely online, the impact is even greater, with 38% regularly feeling overwhelmed, panicked, or anxious due to the sheer number of notifications they receive. Research from Common Sense Media in the US revealed that teenagers receive an average of 237 notifications per day. The mental load is mounting, and it's taking a toll on productivity, relationships, and wellbeing. NO-tifications is the latest initiative from 2degrees' Fairer Phones Project, as part of its ongoing commitment to support healthier relationships with phones. The telco is calling on Kiwis to take action. 'Phones are powerful tools for connection, but when notifications dictate our attention, we're not using them on our terms,' says Mark Callander, Chief Executive of 2degrees. 'We're calling on Kiwis to take control of their notifications before notifications take control of them.' According to Kathryn Berkett, neuroscience and digital wellbeing expert, notifications trigger dopamine, making them addictive. 'We think we're good at multitasking, but in reality, we're task-switching, which drains our energy and reduces focus. It also disrupts our real-world interactions – our attention is physically pulled away the moment we hear or see a ping,' says Berkett. Berkett highlights the impact of excessive notifications: They distract us – making it harder to focus and complete tasks efficiently They affect our relationships – pulling attention away from real-life interactions They disrupt our sleep – keeping us up at night and impacting wellbeing They physically alter brain development – cells that fire together, wire together The Impact of Notification Overload A 2degrees-commissioned survey uncovered that for Gen Z: 46% say they receive far too many or too many notifications 38% regularly feel overwhelmed, panicked, or anxious by the number of notifications received 40% find it difficult to concentrate due to the number of notifications they receive, leading to constant phone checking Biggest culprits: Social media (65%) and email (60%) Across all age groups (16+): 50% received too many notifications 37% feel overwhelmed, panicked or anxious 30% struggle to concentrate due to the number of notifications Sean Lyons, Chief Online Safety Officer at Netsafe, New Zealand's online safety organisation, backs the initiative. 'At Netsafe, we're seeing growing concern about how constant connectivity and screen time affect young people's focus and their overall wellbeing. 2degrees' Fairer Phones Project initiative taps into an important conversation – how we can all be more intentional in our digital lives. Encouraging people to pause and reflect on their phone habits is a valuable step toward building healthier, more balanced relationships with technology.' To regain control, 2degrees suggests: Say No – When apps ask to send notifications, be selective. Only allow the ones that genuinely require your attention. Tidy Up – Regularly review your notification settings and mute unnecessary alerts. Plan Ahead – Set specific times to check notifications rather than reacting to them all day.
Scoop
21-04-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Stop The Pings: Half Of Kiwis Overwhelmed By Notifications
Every day, New Zealanders are bombarded by a relentless flood of notifications. Social media, emails, and app alerts disrupt focus, invade downtime, and fragment attention. Research commissioned by 2degrees now reveals that 50% of Kiwis feel overrun by notifications. For Gen Z, the first generation to grow up entirely online, the impact is even greater, with 38% regularly feeling overwhelmed, panicked, or anxious due to the sheer number of notifications they receive. Research from Common Sense Media in the US revealed that teenagers receive an average of 237 notifications per day. The mental load is mounting, and it's taking a toll on productivity, relationships, and wellbeing. NO-tifications is the latest initiative from 2degrees' Fairer Phones Project, as part of its ongoing commitment to support healthier relationships with phones. The telco is calling on Kiwis to take action. 'Phones are powerful tools for connection, but when notifications dictate our attention, we're not using them on our terms,' says Mark Callander, Chief Executive of 2degrees. 'We're calling on Kiwis to take control of their notifications before notifications take control of them.' According to Kathryn Berkett, neuroscience and digital wellbeing expert, notifications trigger dopamine, making them addictive. 'We think we're good at multitasking, but in reality, we're task-switching, which drains our energy and reduces focus. It also disrupts our real-world interactions - our attention is physically pulled away the moment we hear or see a ping,' says Berkett. Berkett highlights the impact of excessive notifications: They distract us - making it harder to focus and complete tasks efficiently They affect our relationships - pulling attention away from real-life interactions They disrupt our sleep - keeping us up at night and impacting wellbeing They physically alter brain development - cells that fire together, wire together The Impact of Notification Overload A 2degrees-commissioned survey uncovered that for Gen Z: 46% say they receive far too many or too many notifications 38% regularly feel overwhelmed, panicked, or anxious by the number of notifications received 40% find it difficult to concentrate due to the number of notifications they receive, leading to constant phone checking Biggest culprits: Social media (65%) and email (60%) Across all age groups (16+): 50% received too many notifications 37% feel overwhelmed, panicked or anxious 30% struggle to concentrate due to the number of notifications Sean Lyons, Chief Online Safety Officer at Netsafe, New Zealand's online safety organisation, backs the initiative. "At Netsafe, we're seeing growing concern about how constant connectivity and screen time affect young people's focus and their overall wellbeing. 2degrees' Fairer Phones Project initiative taps into an important conversation - how we can all be more intentional in our digital lives. Encouraging people to pause and reflect on their phone habits is a valuable step toward building healthier, more balanced relationships with technology." To regain control, 2degrees suggests: Say No - When apps ask to send notifications, be selective. Only allow the ones that genuinely require your attention. Tidy Up - Regularly review your notification settings and mute unnecessary alerts. Plan Ahead - Set specific times to check notifications rather than reacting to them all day.
Techday NZ
21-04-2025
- Health
- Techday NZ
Half of New Zealanders overwhelmed by notification overload
Research commissioned by 2degrees has found that half of New Zealanders feel overwhelmed by the number of notifications they receive on their digital devices. The findings reveal that social media, emails, and app alerts have become a major source of disruption for many people across the country, impacting everything from productivity to wellbeing. Amongst Generation Z—the first generation to grow up entirely online—38% regularly report feeling overwhelmed, panicked, or anxious due to the frequency of notifications. Common Sense Media research from the United States indicated that teenagers receive an average of 237 notifications per day, highlighting the scale of the issue. Kathryn Berkett, neuroscience and digital wellbeing expert, explained the scientific mechanisms at work. "Notifications trigger dopamine, making them addictive. We think we're good at multitasking, but in reality, we're task-switching, which drains our energy and reduces focus. It also disrupts our real-world interactions - our attention is physically pulled away the moment we hear or see a ping," says Berkett. Berkett outlined several impacts of excessive notifications, stating that they distract people, make it harder to focus and efficiently complete tasks, affect relationships by pulling attention away from real-life interactions, disrupt sleep, and impact long-term wellbeing. She noted extended exposure to notifications can even "physically alter brain development - cells that fire together, wire together." 2degrees has introduced an initiative called NO-tifications as part of its Fairer Phones Project, aiming to encourage better digital habits and to prompt New Zealanders to regain control over their devices. Mark Callander, Chief Executive of 2degrees, commented, "Phones are powerful tools for connection, but when notifications dictate our attention, we're not using them on our terms. We're calling on Kiwis to take control of their notifications before notifications take control of them." The 2degrees-commissioned survey detailed how different age groups are affected. Within Generation Z, 46% described receiving far too many or too many notifications, 38% said they regularly feel overwhelmed, panicked or anxious by the volume received, and 40% reported difficulty concentrating due to their frequency, leading to constant phone checking. The most commonly cited sources of notifications were social media (65%) and email (60%). Across all respondents aged 16 and above, 50% stated they receive too many notifications, 37% said they feel overwhelmed, panicked, or anxious, and 30% said they struggle to concentrate because of the number they receive. Sean Lyons, Chief Online Safety Officer at Netsafe, lent his support to the initiative. "At Netsafe, we're seeing growing concern about how constant connectivity and screen time affect young people's focus and their overall wellbeing. 2degrees' Fairer Phones Project initiative taps into an important conversation - how we can all be more intentional in our digital lives. Encouraging people to pause and reflect on their phone habits is a valuable step toward building healthier, more balanced relationships with technology." 2degrees has recommended several practical steps for those seeking to reduce notification overload: be selective when granting apps permission to send notifications, regularly review and mute unnecessary alerts, and designate specific times to check notifications rather than responding to them throughout the day.
