In today’s world, it’s hard to go anywhere without seeing someone endlessly scrolling on TikTok or just glued to their phone in general – whether sitting in class, eating at the dinner table, or even walking across the street. Through time, screens have become inseparable from our everyday lives. While smartphones have brought much convenience, conversation, and connection, its excessive use has a secret underlying consequence that many don’t know about. From social media obsession to the rewriting of our brains as a whole, phone addiction is a secret growing issue that needs to be addressed.
Social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat are designed to keep users engaged for as long as possible. Endlessly scrolling on videos that may seem harmless at first but slowly eat away at you without you even knowing. There have been multiple studies that social media can lessen your attention span and lead to a huge reduction in your productivity. Many teens compare their lives to the seemingly perfect ones they see online, which can cause anxiety, depression, and self-esteem issues when most of the time the people who post these things end up dealing with the same thing causing an endless cycle from person to person.
Phones make everything so easy that after time if not careful it can also encourage laziness. Instead of going outside, playing with your dog, exercising, or reading a book many people default to their phones for entertainment. While rest and relaxation are very important, especially in the world we live in today. Excessive screen time can cause people to become less motivated to work hard, engage in hobbies, or socialize in real life.
Beyond social media, other lines of content can have negative effects, particularly explicit content. Now you can find explicit material with a click of a button with most people not even knowing that it can lead to unhealthy habits, unrealistic expectations, and even addiction. There was a study in 2023 by Psychology Today where they surveyed 1,300 students from 13 to 17 (Junior high to High School ages) and 73% of the respondents (75% male and 70% female) said they had watched suggestive content online, and the average age they started was 12. Many began even younger. And most of these teens/young adults don’t even realize that over time frequent consumption can rewire the brain’s reward system which can lead to addiction, desensitization, and an increased need to find more extreme content which many teens today suffer from. And while these conversations can be uncomfortable for some, acknowledging the potential harm is important and necessary for teens today who struggle with spending too much time on their phones.
Now the question is why do we keep coming back to these different things and our phones? The answer is dopamine- a brain chemical that makes us feel good. Every time we get a like, comment, text back, find a video we like, or someone replying to a story our brain releases a small burst of dopamine. Which makes us crave more leading to an endless cycle of checking and scrolling. Many apps are designed to exploit this reaction, keeping users engaged for as long as possible.
And while all of this is good to know, a key factor to remember is phones are not inherently bad, but how we use them matters. Setting screen time limits, engaging more in real-world activities, and being mindful and careful of what content we choose to consume can help prevent addiction. Instead of letting our devices control us and let our lives revolve around them, we should aim to use them in ways that benefit our lives rather than harm them. Now it’s time to take a step back and think: Are we in control of our phones, or are we letting them control us?
