to play devil's advocate (I don't necessarily believe this; I just don't know) - why is this necessarily a problem? For example, one possibility is: Over time, an increased culture of distraction will through social selection filter itself out into "improved multitasking ability". There are always growing pains associated with any seismic shift in society, especially those created by technology. What makes this one different, or are you someone who laments that time given over to learn cursive is now used to teach children to type?