u/zaplan_89

On 15/06/2026, the BBC aired an interview in which they discussed the impending social media ban for under-16s with students at a secondary school in the UK. One of the students told the interviewer that her screen time over the weekend was nine hours. This was then followed up with the question, “So what will you do when the ban comes in?”, to which the student replied, “I will stare at a wall.”

Whether the student said this in a satirical or perhaps defiant manner, the idea of staring at a wall and embracing boredom may not be such a bad thing. In fact, it may have some potential benefits and could well be a better alternative to endlessly scrolling through social media.

The definition of boredom is a state of mind characterised by a lack of stimulation, interest, and challenge. This then necessitates that we find something to alleviate that feeling. In doing so, boredom can often result in creativity, as it allows us to daydream. As a BBC article states, boredom “can lead to making unexpected connections and generates innovative ideas”.

(This prompted me to consider whether children or, indeed, people as a whole allow themselves to daydream anymore, or whether we simply fill every void with social media doomscrolling.)

I believe this is why many creative people advocate activities that may induce a state of boredom, such as going for long walks or placing themselves in situations where they are completely disconnected from technology. In turn, this gives the creative brain space to breathe.

The deliberate induction of boredom has been documented among historical creatives such as Thomas Edison and Salvador Dalí. Both reportedly used a technique whereby they sat in a chair holding an object in one hand, allowing themselves to do nothing until they were just about to fall asleep. At that point, the object would fall from their hand and awaken them, prompting them to capture and write down the ideas that had come to them during that period of near-sleep and potential peak boredom.

I personally believe that the social media ban will be beneficial if it comes to fruition, and I am very interested to see what changes may occur within the younger generation, particularly as I have two young children of my own.

So, yes, I think that staring at a wall is a fantastic alternative to social media doomscrolling.

And yes the irony is not lost on me that without social media you would have not found this post.