#DigitalLife

A recent online compilation of parenting stories has gone viral, spotlighting a global trend: parents are embracing creative, sometimes unconventional hacks to manage the daily chaos of family life. The article, “It’s Been 12 Years And It’s Not Failed Me Yet!”: 46 Moms On Their Most Unhinged Parenting Moves, published on Bored Panda, collects witty, practical, and at times “unhinged” tricks from mothers who have turned necessity into maternal invention. These insights resonate strongly with Thai parents facing growing pressures amid economic shifts, changing family structures, and the challenges of modern child-rearing—prompting a closer look at what works, why these approaches go viral, and how local families are adapting.

Attention is tightening its grip on daily life. In Thailand—and across Southeast Asia—digital use is surging, yet many people report they can’t sustain focus for more than a minute or two. New research suggests the decline is real but multifaceted, shaped by work habits as much as by smartphones. The story is evolving from a crisis narrative to practical strategies that fit Thai workplaces and communities.

Across decades, focus time on screens has shortened. Early research showed adults could maintain steady attention for roughly two and a half minutes; by 2012 that dropped to about 75 seconds. Modern assessments place the average around 47 seconds. These findings come from respected scholars at institutions like the University of California, Irvine, who have explored how digital ecosystems fragment our concentration. In Thailand, the picture mirrors these trends as offices stay perpetually “on” and notifications flood workers, a pattern intensified by the pandemic and the country’s rapid digital adoption.

More and more people are struggling with a shrinking attention span, often lamenting an inability to focus for even a few uninterrupted minutes. This concern is not just anecdotal, but backed by research showing that our ability to concentrate has declined sharply in the digital age. As society wrestles with the implications—especially for countries like Thailand, where digital consumption is booming—new evidence suggests that both the causes and remedies may be more nuanced than we realize.