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Educators battle for students’ attention in the age of TikTok

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By Dena Al-Fadhli

KUWAIT: In a generation where students wake up to 30 unread text messages, endless 20-second TikTok videos, and a constant stream of Instagram stories, it has become increasingly challenging for educators to keep pace with their shifting cognitive habits. Although educators are working hard to meet students where they are, many of the strategies being used may not truly foster the deep, critical thinking skills they hope they will develop for the future.

Maha Saleh, a former high school history teacher at a public school in Kuwait, expresses deep concern over what she describes as a troubling decline in student engagement.

“The level of apathy I’ve seen in recent years is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Students don’t seem to care about their grades or school at all,” she said. “When I’m teaching, it often feels like they’re physically present—but mentally, they’re somewhere else entirely because they are just waiting for that next hit of dopamine.”

This “hit of dopamine” is more than a figure of speech. “Digital dopamine” is a term that emerged in the mid-2010s as researchers and wellness experts began exploring the link between digital technology use and brain chemistry. Many apps and platforms are intentionally designed to trigger dopamine releases through unpredictable reward patterns, reinforcing compulsive scrolling and screen time.

Educators and schools are now grappling with how to provide meaningful learning experiences despite these challenges.

One school in Kuwait enforced a school-wide phone ban as a solution. Rania Khudairi, a middle school English teacher with over a decade of experience in Kuwait’s private education sector, shared the outcomes with Kuwait Times. While Khudairi and her team anticipated some resistance, they were blindsided by just how deeply the ban disrupted students.

“We observed students reacting like addicts going through withdrawal,” Khudairi explains. “It was nearly impossible to engage or teach a child who was preoccupied—mentally checking out because they were craving that next TikTok video or waiting for a message from a friend.”

This classroom response, Khudairi suggests, is more than just behavioral—it reflects underlying changes in brain chemistry. Dr Haitham Al-Khayat, a neurosurgeon in Kuwait with over twenty years of experience, explains the neurological impact of prolonged social media and smartphone use among young people:

“They stimulate the part of the brain responsible for short-term gratification, known as the dopaminergic mesolimbic system. Repeated stimulation of this system triggers changes in the brain similar to those observed in individuals struggling with substance addiction.”

Dr Al-Khayat urges educators and individuals to take proactive steps in addressing this ‘dopamine addiction’ by fostering a healthier balance rather than enforcing total deprivation. A common approach teachers are adopting is integrating learning strategies that reflect students’ digital habits, in hopes of enhancing engagement.

One example comes from Danna Alenezi, a public-school chemistry teacher who has adapted her teaching methods to better engage students. She explains that even during a 40-minute class, maintaining students’ attention throughout is nearly impossible. To address this, she delivers her lessons in “short, packaged units” and incorporates brief videos between key points to sustain focus—mirroring the fast-paced, bite-sized content students are accustomed to consuming online.

Yet, what they’re noticing is that this approach may be jeopardizing learning in other ways—potentially worsening students’ already shortened attention spans. Khudairi reflects on how this trade-off plays out in the classroom: “While some students appreciate deeper exploration of concepts, I can’t really give that to them since it often comes at the cost of losing the attention of the majority.”

As educators adjust their methods to accommodate these brief, stimulus-driven lessons, they are also witnessing unexpected shifts in teacher-student dynamics.

Alenezi vividly recalls one such moment: a student raised her hand to ask a question, and as Alenezi paused—eye contact locked—the pupil abruptly turned to a friend and began chatting about something entirely unrelated. “I’ll never forget it,” Alenezi reflects, “because it laid bare exactly how much digital habits can interrupt even our most basic, face-to-face exchanges.”

These classroom observations often point to deeper cognitive shifts. Dr Al-Khayat explains that many teachers are now reporting signs of impaired executive function in their students. In his neurosurgical practice, he notes increasingly impulsive behavior among younger patients. Deprived of the ability to pause and engage in longer-term reasoning, they frequently make hasty decisions—and then find themselves caught in a repetitive cycle of “oh, I apologize.”

Alenezi admits that while she doesn’t really know what the solution is, she believes that recognizing the problem is the first step. “If educators and administrators work together to acknowledge the problem rather than fighting it, we might have a chance to revive the state of education.”

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Kuwait launches 2025-2030 youth strategic plan

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Kuwait launches 2025-2030 youth strategic plan

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2nd Kuwaiti aid plane arrives in Jordan to support Gaza

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KUWAIT/AMMAN: A second plane carrying humanitarian aid from Kuwait has arrived at Marka Military Airport in Jordan, bringing 10 tons of essential food supplies for the Gaza Strip. The aid flight departed from Abdullah Al-Mubarak Airbase in Kuwait and was organized by the Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society in coordination with Kuwait’s Ministries of Social Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Defense, with support from the Kuwaiti Air Force.

This follows Kuwait’s first relief flight to Gaza on Sunday, which delivered 10 tons of food supplies as part of a new airlift campaign aimed at easing the severe humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory. That flight headed to Al-Arish International Airport in Egypt, where aid will be transferred safely into Gaza.

Khaled Al-Mughamis, chairman of the Kuwaiti Red Crescent, told KUNA before the second flight that the airlift reflected Kuwait’s longstanding commitment to humanitarian support. He said:

“Launching this second aid flight from the second Kuwaiti humanitarian airlift for our Palestinian brothers reflects Kuwait’s deeply rooted humanitarian approach — leadership, government, and people alike — in supporting afflicted peoples and easing their suffering.”

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The shipment was prepared with supplies from the Kuwait Flour Mills and Bakeries Company to ensure quality, he added. Officials are working closely with the Kuwaiti embassy in Jordan, the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization, and the Palestinian Red Crescent to prioritize aid distribution according to need. Arrangements are underway for further flights as part of Kuwait’s second humanitarian airlift to Gaza, said Al-Mughamis, who thanked donors and official bodies for facilitating and expediting the aid.

“The ‘Fazaa for Gaza’ campaign embodies what the people of Kuwait — leaders and citizens — have been built upon: standing firmly with our brothers and sisters, inspired by Kuwait’s historic role as a regional and global center for humanitarian work,” he said.

Kuwait’s campaign comes as Gaza faces catastrophic conditions. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 61,599 Palestinians have been killed in the Zionist entity’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023. This includes 227 who died from starvation — 103 of them children. The ministry also noted that 31 Palestinians were killed and over 388 injured while trying to get humanitarian aid in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed while seeking aid to 1,838, with over 13,409 others wounded since May 27.

Earlier this week, Kuwait’s Ministry of Social Affairs announced that a nationwide donation campaign had raised KD 11.5 million. Funds are being used to purchase food and other essentials through the Kuwait Flour Mills Company, with the Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society overseeing procurement. — Agencies

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Family visit visas open to all, ‘no salary cap needed’

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KUWAIT: All expatriates living in Kuwait can bring their extended families on a visit visa to Kuwait as the salary requirement has been abolished, a top interior ministry official has said, as Kuwait eases restrictions for foreign visitors and tourists. The validity of the family visas however remains just one month, Director of Electronic Services at the Department of Residency Affairs Col Abdulaziz Al-Kandari told state-run Kuwait Television late on Monday.

According to new regulations, family visas have also been extended to include up to fourth-degree relatives and third-degree relatives through marriage, he said. In the past, family visas were limited to almost only spouses and children in addition to parents. Col Kandari said that family and other types of visas can now be obtained through online application at the newly-established Kuwaitvisa platform and application. Kandari said that if the application is complete, the visa will be issued within just five minutes.

In addition, Kuwait has also abolished the requirement that visitors to Kuwait must use Kuwaiti carriers, either Kuwait Airways or Al-Jazeera Airways. “All types of visitors can now come by sea, land or air using any carrier” Kandari said. The official said that four types of visas are issued on Kuwaitvisa platform or application; tourist, family, business and governmental.

As for tourist visas, Kandari said visitors are divided into four categories. The first covers nationals of 53 mostly Western countries based on the strength of their passport and income.

These countries include about 41 European countries including Turkey, eight Asian nations; Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia. In addition to the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Nationals of those countries are issued all types of tourist visas on arrival and online through the platform, said Kandari, who advised applicants to apply online to avoid negative security screening which could result in turning them back. This category needs to fulfill no condition.

The second categories include foreign residents of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, those who have valid residency permits in the United States, Canada, Britain and those who have the Schengen visa to Europe. As for the second category, they must hold “medium to high professions” but they are not required to submit a salary certificate or a bank account, Kandari stressed, although a decision by the interior minister issued on Sunday removed the profession requirement.

However, to avoid disappointment, applicants should apply online by uploading their passport copy, a personal picture, a confirmed air ticket and a hotel reservation. Members of these two categories can apply for a single entry visa valid for one month, two months and three months or a multiple entry visa for three months, six months and one year provided that each single stay does not exceed one month, Col Kandari said.

He said that the third category, which covers people not included in the first two categories, is currently under consideration, adding that members of this group must produce a bank account to prove they are financially capable. The fourth category includes people who can visit Kuwait to attend certain sports and entertainment events who can apply at the time of the event, he said. As for business visas, any local company can apply to bring any foreign business partner or visitor, he said. Col Kandari said fees on visas depend on each nationality.

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