"Doom scrolling" trap                                                                                Marco Piunti/Getty Images

Teens Are Missing the Power of Boredom

BY JUSTIN WANG

MARCH 4, 2026

In today’s growing digital age, boredom feels practically impossible for teenagers. The second there’s a free moment, most students reach for their phones. Whether it's scrolling through social media, watching videos, or playing games, there is always something available to fill the silence of nothingness. Recently, however, some students and parents are starting to wonder if teens might actually need more boredom.

Tracey Pannapara, a chemistry teacher and loving mother of two tweens, decided to test this idea at home. After banning her daughter from computer video games, she noticed a dramatic change. 

“She was frustrated, but she picked up her sketchbook again. Her vocabulary grew, and her grammar has become more polished; that wouldn't have happened if she kept on filling her time up with games,” said Ms. Pannapara.

Later, her daughter started drawing regularly and even discovered Canva to experiment with digital design.

EBHS Junior Abigail Fauci said, “When you’re constantly entertained, your brain never has to come up with its own ideas. We go from school to practice to homework, and then we scroll on our phones before bed.”

Fauci points out that many students are under constant stress from homework, sports, and extracurricular activities, and the boredom between all these activities is what allows students to exercise their creativity. 

Boredom may seem like a waste of time for busy students, but it allows people to reflect and grow on tasks they might not have time for. In a world that is always connected, a little disconnection might be exactly what teens need.