From streaming services with endless hours of content to a portable rectangular device that contains all human knowledge and accomplishment, we’ve done all we can to banish boredom.

So why are young people reporting an uptick in tedium?

A US study that tracked 100,000 adolescents for nearly a decade noted a significant rise in boredom from 2011, with the trend more pronounced in girls than boys.

A similar study in China saw a 14% rise in boredom among students between 2009 and 2020.

Experts say this may not be despite the onslaught of digital distractions but because of them.

An experiment by the University of Toronto Scarborough asked 1,200 participants to watch online videos and swipe to the next whenever they felt bored.

“Our findings suggest that attempts to avoid boredom through digital switching may sometimes inadvertently exacerbate it,” Katy Y. Y. Tam and Michael Inzlicht said in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

So, should we be constantly avoiding the dread of boredom, or does a little tedium have something to offer?