> Is this because increase social media/internet use? This was the first thought that came to mind, and I also wonder if this goes further to increased media c

> Is this because increase social media/internet use? This was the first thought that came to mind, and I also wonder if this goes further to increased media consumption and phone use/dependence across the board. Smartphone adoption and use was already on a hockey stick trajectory, but adding lockdown to the mix added to many people’s screen time massively. And for kids growing up in that setting, learning that knowledge comes from these magical slabs of glass seems like a good way to stunt certain kinds of curiosity quite early. To whatever degree phone and social media use is a factor, it does seem highly likely that lockdowns accelerated/magnified this effect.