Can anyone else not focus on the TV without looking at their phone or something else?

[Donthaveagoodusername]

I struggle to sit and watch anything for a full hour or whatever (unless it's incredibly captivating and amazing maybe) without needing to play on my phone or do something else at the same time.
Anyone else ? Same with books, I really struggle to sit and read a book for more than a few pages st once. Not sure if there's something wrong with me?

Yes I'm exactly the same! It's sad really, phones have destroyed my attention span. I used to love a good book.

I'm quite happy to focus on the TV, don't have a problem with that. I just do crochet while I watch, because I fidget if I'm not doing something with my hands.

Me too! I'm always having to rewind programmes as I have missed something vital. Started watching subtitled scandi noir to make me actually concentrate on the screen.

Same with books. Set myself a challenge to read 20 books this year.

Really need to turn off the phone!

I leave my phone in the other room when watching a film now

If not I start looking at film locations or the population of the city it’s set in or the actor I think I recognise and waste so much time

I hadn't realised how bad I was for this until I watched Money Heist and my lack of speaking Spanish meant I was punished everytime my distraction wandered.

If I watch anything now, it's on my laptop with my headphones and my phone out of reach. Then I will concentrate.

I am fine reading a book, i can just get on with that.

Or, concentration, even, although...

What is it that you do on your phone? Something related to the programme you're watching or social media, FOMO? It is one of my biggest concerns for my kids and the ones I teach now. The constant drip of dopamine hit you get on each new click every 2 mins on your phone or YouTube destroys the ability to focus on one longer thing.

I do enjoy a thread where we're all watching the same programme though. Like the Olympic Opening Ceremony in 2012, or BGT/Strictly. I can somehow multi task watching the TV and commenting on here.

I'm awful for looking at my phone while watching TV or even while on a work call (now!!) But i find a book a good replacement for phone time early in the morning or on the evening. I read an article on the BBC earlier that said adults spend 4hrs per day on phone and I can well believe it. Mines got a warning that comes up at 3hrs and I regularly go over. I really don't like it but seem to have no self control!!!

It seems such a waste of life.

I'm the same. Waiting for an ADHD assessment.

Yep. I've just been diagnosed with ADHD so I understand why I get distracted easily now from watching a show. I will watch foreign programs so I have to focus on subtitles to make sure I do watch it

I can be doing the online food shop, or organising stuff for the kids or chatting to friends and relatives or here on Mumsnet. Hardly a waste of a life to not be 100% absorbed in the TV.

I only have TV on to watch something specific eg netflix series. Never have it on as background and when I watch, my phone is elsewhere

Yeah me too. I took up knitting. I can’t knit anything other than a (very) long scarf but it stops me from being distracted from what’s on the Tv

Depends what I'm watching. If I'm watching a film and think "that bloke looks like the man from another film" I might look it up (e.g. Seth in "Superbad" looks like a younger version of Nice Guy Eddie in "Reservoir Dogs" but couldn't have been him because it was made 15 years earlier).

Same with reading, I do most of my reading on an iPad now so it's easy to look up things I don't understand. (Yesterday I found out that "sennight" means week, it's the one week equivalent of "fortnight" - had gone 40 years not knowing that.)

You need to read Stolen Focus! You are not alone.

Oh God this is me.

I don't think it's just a phone thing. I've done this most of my adult life, as did my mum until her eyesight started failing. Only for us it was usually something that engaged the hands: knitting, crochet, sewing, making edible flowers etc, sometimes reading. TV is rarely that riveting, and certainly not for hours on end.

That said, my phone has certainly stolen my reading concentration. My phone, together with my own deteriorating eyesight. I find sustained reading harder and harder on my eyes, especially in bed - my favourite place for reading - because the angle just doesn't work with my varifocals. Whereas I can hold my phone 6" from my face and mess about on it without my glasses. But now I am trying to do that with my Kindle in bed, to try and read again. Sadly, reading a Kindle lacks the pleasure of holding a real book. But I seem to lack the concentration stamina for longer books or more complex language. And I do blame the instant gratification of the smartphone for that.

Social media is every changing. Watch tick toc and the screen keeps changing. You flick through. Same with Facebook. It’s that never ending new media. It has made all our concentration spans tiny. Always something new to look at.
I don’t mind how often I spend on my phone. But I only allow myself to do it when I have nothing else to do. I leave my phone somewhere else if I’m reading or watching tv.
It’s about re training your brain that it doesn’t need something new constantly to look at.

My DH is like this and I can’t stand it, think it’s really rude. I can be completely engrossed in a series we’re watching and he’s next to me scrolling mindlessly through LinkedIn. Bugs the shit out of me, I’d rather be left the room.

Me, do 3 things at once. Much worse now I'm a certain age but also adhd...

@Poorenough

Yes I'm exactly the same! It's sad really, phones have destroyed my attention span. I used to love a good book.

This is exactly me!

Definitely. I’m very sad that I can’t read a book without stopping every few pages.

Tv I think it’s because I’m not very engaged with anything - I rarely get the chance to watch or to choose. Some mind numbing film chosen by my 10 year old on a Saturday evening definitely requires the phone. Ironing is probably the only time I’m not simultaneously in my phone!

I’m usually messaging someone, or checking the news, Facebook, mumsnet. It’s not for the Likes as I don’t post much, it’s habit and boredom. Covid made it worse because in the early days I felt I kept having to check the news or the numbers.