attention span

American  

noun

1. the interval during which an individual can concentrate, as on a single object, idea, or activity.

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Etymology

Origin of attention span

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Given their limited attention span, the last thing a child needs is a film chock-full of loose ends to distract from the crux of the story.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026

Slaymaker said he had noticed an increase in people using their phones in the cinema, which he put down to "changes in people's attention span".

From BBC • May 21, 2026

“There’s just a lot of short attention span money in the market,” says Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at retail broker Charles Schwab.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

“Cinema is more resistant to oblivion, and certainly longer-living than the short-lived attention span that the internet offers, while your urgency reaches places our films cannot,” Wenders said.

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026

While the broader concerns about attention span are widespread among scholars, the evidence can be indirect, some of it anecdotal.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel