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.”

KUWAIT: Human activities along Kuwait’s shores are key contributors to the red tide and fish deaths observed recently, alongside natural factors like rising water temperatures, the Environment Public Authority (EPA) said Friday. Following the circulation of images and videos on social media, EPA teams immediately visited the affected areas — including the shores of Ashairij, Doha, and Shuwaikh — to investigate.

Sheikha Al-Ibrahim, Director of Public Relations and Media at the EPA, told the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that field teams conducted comprehensive environmental surveys, taking field measurements and collecting water samples for laboratory analysis. Preliminary results identified the bloom of a specific type of phytoplankton as the immediate cause. This bloom depletes dissolved oxygen in the water and alters its color, leading to fish suffocation — a phenomenon that becomes more frequent at the start of summer due to the Arabian Gulf’s rising surface temperatures.

Scientists from the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research have previously warned that red tide outbreaks are part of a larger pattern. In a research paper published in 2025, they note that the Arabian Gulf is one of the most heavily impacted marine environments in the world, suffering from pollution caused by rapid urban development, industrial expansion, desalination plants, and busy oil shipping routes. These pressures have made the Gulf’s coastal waters especially vulnerable to harmful algal blooms (HABs), which have grown more frequent and severe in recent decades.

Al-Ibrahim pointed out that the discoloration of coastal waters, particularly near stormwater outlets, is closely linked to human activities. She added that human activities along the shore degrade water quality, creating conditions that directly or indirectly fuel red tide outbreaks and marine die-offs. She urged citizens, residents, fishermen, and sea-goers to report any sightings of fish deaths along Kuwait’s coastlines or territorial waters to the EPA for immediate action. Al-Ibrahim stressed that the EPA will intensify its field surveys over the coming days, especially around Kuwait Bay, to monitor environmental conditions and safeguard marine life. She emphasized the need for community cooperation in preserving the health of Kuwait’s marine ecosystems. — Agencies

Could dust storms be fueling red tide?

By Nebal Snan

A recent study has found that rising temperatures and dust storms are combining to trigger harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Arabian Gulf — posing serious threats to marine life in Kuwait. Researchers from the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research focused on Chattonella marina, a toxic phytoflagellate (a type of microscopic algae), which was linked to a major fish kill in 2021. Their findings point to potentially one of the main drivers behind the outbreak: A severe dust storm two months before the bloom, which delivered large amounts of nutrients into coastal waters.

The Arabian Gulf is already considered one of the most environmentally stressed seas in the world, pressured by rapid urbanization, industrial development, desalination, and heavy oil shipping traffic. These combined impacts have made the region’s waters increasingly vulnerable to HABs, which are becoming more frequent and intense.

The study also highlights that dust storms may play a far larger role in fueling algal blooms than previously understood. Northern Gulf waters, including those around Kuwait, experience about five times more dust storms than southern areas. These storms deposit mineral nutrients into the sea, stimulating algae growth combined with climate stressors like rising sea temperatures, which lead to lower oxygen levels in the water, thereby suffocating the fish. For instance, researchers observed that after a major dust storm, certain phytoplankton populations surged and remained elevated for up to two weeks.

Scientists warn that dust storms, which are common in the region, may have long-term effects on marine life by fueling these harmful algae outbreaks. Understanding how human activities and natural events interact is crucial for protecting the Gulf’s fragile coastal ecosystems and sustaining its marine life.

KUWAIT: The Executive Office of the GCC National Olympic Committees reaffirmed its support for the Unified Platform for Gulf Women’s Sports during its 101st meeting, held Saturday in Kuwait under the chairmanship of Acting Secretary General of the Kuwait Olympic Committee, Captain Ali Al-Merri.

Originally approved in 2023, the Unified Platform aims to strengthen the visibility and development of women’s sports across the Gulf region. It features a unified digital identity for female athletes, an official accredited website dedicated to women’s sports news relevant to the GCC Secretariat General, and a centralized space to highlight the role of sporting organizations in advancing women’s sports in member countries.

As part of its continued push for innovation, the committee also approved the launch of a Gulf Women’s Sports Hackathon as an annual or regular event under the supervision of the GCC Advisory Committee for Women’s Sports. Last held in Oman in 2024, the hackathon aims to enhance the role of women in the field of sports, in addition to exchanging knowledge between the GCC countries to enhance sports culture in the region. The event includes workshops presented by specialists and experts in women’s sports programs.

In addition to the women’s sports initiatives, the Executive Office discussed several major topics: Preparation for the 3rd Gulf Beach Games in Muscat in 2025, congratulating Oman for its successful hosting efforts; approval of Kuwait’s bid to host the 2nd GCC Youth Games in 2028; approval of the UAE’s request to host the 1st Sports Law and Administration Conference in 2026; support for Qatar’s preparations for hosting the 4th Gulf Sports Games in 2026; and review of the draft unified statute for GCC sports federations.

Representing Kuwait at the meeting was Sheikh Jaber Thamer Al-Sabah, member of the Board of Directors of the Kuwait Olympic Committee, along with Secretaries-General from the Gulf countries and Abdullah Al-Rabiei, Head of the Human and Environmental Affairs Sector at the GCC Secretariat General. — KUNA