What effect does hours of scrolling have on young people?

A dark room. Blue light on a face. The thumb swipes faster than the mind can think. Another video. One more. One more. 11.48 pm, somewhere in a teenager's bedroom. The lights are off; only the mobile phone is lit up. Faces appear and disappear again. Dancing, laughter, a joke, a life hack, a cat. Five seconds. Ten seconds.

The 14-year-old had actually intended to put his mobile down a few videos ago. But every new one keeps him glued to it a little longer – and pushes his bedtime further and further back. The next morning, the alarm goes off far too early and, still half asleep, he wonders: Why didn't I stop earlier?

Many of us are familiar with this. You just pop online to see what your friends are up to – and suddenly 40 minutes have flown by. Or more. You lose track of time somewhere between two videos. This so-called «infinite scrolling» affects all age groups. For young people, however, it can have particularly serious consequences, as their brains are still developing.

Risks at various levels

But what exactly does it do to a teenager's brain when one video follows another? What are the dangers of scrolling, and who stands to gain from it? And how can parents deal with it if their child can't or won't put their mobile down?

To answer these and other questions, we spoke to three experts: Oliver Bilke-Hentsch, Head of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Luzerner Psychiatrie; Daniel Wolff, digital trainer and former Silicon Valley correspondent; andDaniel Süss, Professor of Media Psychology at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW).

One thing is clear: the intensive use of digital media carries risks on various levels. Together, the experts paint a picture in which digital media not only offer opportunities, but also have a negative impact on young people's development, mental health and social skills.    

The mechanisms behind scrolling

«With the rise of smartphone use, we've had a major new problem for about 15 years,» says Oliver Bilke-Hentsch. «Everywhere we look, we see people constantly engrossed in their devices.» There's a system behind all that endless scrolling. According to Daniel Süss, features such as «infinite scrolling» are deliberately «addictive by design» – in other words, designed to make it as difficult as possible to leave the apps. In fact, it often takes more effort to close the app than simply to keep scrolling.

The fact that young people have become accustomed to short, emotionally charged content makes it difficult for many of them to concentrate on complex texts for any length of time.

Oliver Bilke-Hentsch, child and adolescent psychiatrist

The reason lies in the brain: short, emotionally charged content activates the reward system and triggers the release of the «happiness hormone» dopamine. The result: the user wants more and more of it and gets caught in an endless digital loop from which they cannot escape. The principle of intermittent reward is particularly effective: because it is unclear whether the next video will be particularly interesting, an expectation is created that tempts the user to keep scrolling – much like a slot machine.

As child psychiatrist Bilke-Hentsch points out, this process actually begins even earlier: the mere anticipation of a reward triggers a reaction in the brain even before the app has been opened. In this way, the child effectively becomes Pavlov's dog and the mobile phone the treat.

What scrolling does to teenagers’ brains

Süss and Bilke-Hentsch see the greatest challenge in the area of cognitive development. Having become accustomed to short, emotionally charged content, many young people find it difficult to concentrate for long periods on complex texts or challenging tasks. Their attention wanders more easily, and their patience wanes.

Bilke-Hentsch warns that constant scrolling disrupts the brain's resting state – the state that is necessary for transferring information from short-term to long-term memory.

The platforms aim to hold users’ attention for as long as possible and monetise it.

Daniel Wolff, Digital Trainer

Social behaviour is changing too. Because it takes up so much time, teenagers are neglecting «real-life contact», and smartphones can even completely replace face-to-face interaction – particularly in times of crisis, according to Bilke-Hentsch.

The child psychiatrist also mentions the possibility of emotional numbness caused by extreme content, as well as an escape into predictable digital worlds. The risk is, of course, particularly high for children and young people with a predisposition to such issues, such as those from families with a history of addiction.

The platforms’ strong pull

Digital trainer Daniel Wolff observes, above all, the tangible consequences in everyday life. In his work with families, he sees how the powerful pull of these platforms leads children and young people to use their devices secretly, even at night, to come into contact with digital media at an increasingly early age, and in some cases to be exposed to problematic content.

These early experiences have a lasting impact on how people interact with digital media: many develop usage patterns that are heavily geared towards instant gratification and constant availability. In this context, Wolff refers to a form of «mis-conditioning», whereby habits become ingrained that are difficult to break later on.

At the same time, he criticises the role of the platforms themselves. He argues that they are specifically designed to hold users’ attention for as long as possible and thereby generate revenue.  

Daniel Süss also has some critical remarks to make: mechanisms such as «infinite scrolling» or irregular rewards are deliberately designed to keep users engaged for as long as possible. Nevertheless, the media psychologist paints a more nuanced picture.

What matters is not so much the amount of time spent using media as whether media consumption actually restricts daily life.

Daniel Süss, media psychologist

Does media consumption really restrict our daily lives?

Daniel Süss certainly recognises that spending a great deal of time on social media – and the resulting tendency to compare one's own life with the carefully curated highlights of others’ lives – can exacerbate feelings of loneliness and inferiority. However, he also emphasises that online spaces can foster interaction with like-minded people and a sense of belonging. This is particularly valuable for young people who feel excluded or misunderstood.

His view on psychological development is similarly nuanced. Excessive use can make it harder to focus one's attention, says Süss. At the same time, he warns against jumping to conclusions that this very excessive use triggers conditions such as ADHD. In his view, the decisive factor is not so much the duration of use as whether media consumption actually restricts everyday life.

Pause scrolling deliberately

The key, then, is not to let your smartphone distract you all the time and to make a conscious effort to stop scrolling. Young people usually realise for themselves that this is necessary and helps them to focus better on other content.

Take Elijah, for example, a 13-year-old Year 7 pupil at the secondary school in Adelboden. There, pupils have to hand in their mobile phones for the entire school day, and his parents set limits on his screen time.“When my screen time runs out, I do get a bit annoyed at first – but at the same time I'm glad I'm not on my phone anymore,» says Elijah.

China regulates platforms much more strictly

Setting limits for themselves, sticking to time limits – how are young people supposed to manage something that even adults struggle with? According to experts such as Daniel Wolff, traditional measures – such as screen time limits or app blockers – as they are available in this country, often fall short. Users get round them or deactivate them because they are too restrictive and do not fit in with everyday life.  

Elsewhere, they're already much further ahead – and more radical: «Even though I'm no fan of the Communist Party, China has long since figured out how these apps work. On «Douyin», the Chinese TikTok for children, videos are strictly moderated and after 40 minutes a child can no longer use Douyin, whether they want to or not,» says Wolff.

Some time ago, Douyin introduced a feature that inserts mandatory 5-second breaks between videos after a certain amount of screen time. During these breaks, a still image or a short video appears with messages such as: «Put your phone away», «Go to sleep» or «Carry on with your work tomorrow». These breaks cannot simply be swiped away. These brief or subtle boundaries are known as «micro-boundaries».

Douyin: A learning tool, not just a pastime

In China, the «Youth Mode» for social media is mandatory for children under the age of 14. In this mode, usage is limited to 40 minutes per day. Furthermore, Douyin cannot keep children awake at night – the app is completely blocked between 10 pm and 6 am.  

In the Chinese youth mode, the algorithm is also completely different. Instead of pure entertainment, children are primarily shown educational content: scientific experiments, museum tours, historical explanations, or patriotic content that is uncritical of the Party. The aim is to position Douyin as a learning tool rather than merely a means of passing the time.

Bans merely create a false sense of security for politicians and parents, whilst young people circumvent the blocks using VPNs and move on to unregulated areas.

Daniel Süss, media psychologist

Children need close support from their parents

However, as reassuring and helpful as that may sound to parents, there is no getting away from the need to keep a close eye on their children in their day-to-day lives – all three experts agree on this. Daniel Wolff describes discussing children's and young people's media consumption as «vital» for them.

In practical terms, the experts stress, this means that parents should sit down with their children and look together at the content they are being shown on social media. It is also important to talk about anything that causes concern and to avoid making certain topics taboo – for example, by addressing issues such as sexuality or self-image openly.

It is also important to make children aware that much of this content is not primarily intended to inform, but is designed to keep them glued to the screen for as long as possible, because companies make money from their attention.

Such open communication can also help to prevent isolation – particularly among young people who might otherwise retreat into online forums frequented by peers facing similar problems. In some cases, such forums can be useful. However, parents should remain a point of contact where children feel safe and can talk about their fears and needs.

What are the benefits of a social media ban?

Digital trainer Daniel Wolff certainly sees the merits of a ban on social media for under-16s. «Even if teenagers find ways to get round the ban – just as they manage to buy alcohol or cigarettes – a blanket ban would be much harder for younger children to circumvent and could, in some cases, prevent harm,» says Wolff, outlining the benefits.

Parents should not give in to alarmism, but should act as active participants in the discussion.

Daniel Süss, media psychologist

Daniel Süss, on the other hand, does not think much of such restrictions; he believes that a blanket ban on social media for young people is not very effective. «Such measures often merely create a false sense of security for politicians and parents, whilst young people circumvent the blocks using VPNs and move into unregulated areas.»

Instead, Süss advocates for the consistent promotion of media literacy and greater accountability on the part of platform operators. «Parents should not give in to alarmism, but should act as active discussion partners.»

The digital world is often more predictable than reality

Oliver Bilke-Hentsch emphasises that smartphones can certainly serve as a means of relaxation for young people – you just have to look closely at what kind of stressis being relieved.

Anyone who has been pushing themselves intellectually all day at school often looks for simple forms of stimulation in the evening. A short video or a game offers a quick sense of achievement without much effort. The brain switches off, and the intellectual pressure eases.

However, according to Bilke-Hentsch, the deeper reason for this fascination lies in predictability: «The digital world is often much more predictable than reality,» explains the psychiatrist.

Young people are at a stage in their lives where they often have little control over the real world: they are financially dependent, have little say in matters, and their future is a vast, blank canvas. In a video game, however, or within the familiar logic of their social media feeds, they are the ones in the driving seat. They understand the rules, they achieve results, and they make a difference alongside like-minded peers.

It is tempting to lose oneself in the digital world. To a certain extent, this is acceptable – but parents should be mindful of the point at which media consumption becomes a cause for concern.

How parents can recognise problematic behaviour

Oliver Bilke-Hentsch advises parents to look for the classic signs of addiction. It is less about the sheer amount of time spent in front of a screen and more about the behaviour behind it. A clear warning sign is an increase in usage: to achieve the same satisfying effect, young people scroll more and more, faster and more intensely – some even double the playback speed of videos to take in more stimuli in a shorter time.

Added to this is a loss of control: the firm resolution to put the mobile phone away after a few minutes repeatedly fails due to inner resistance. If, moreover, putting it away leaves one with an uneasy feeling – the constant fear of missing out (FOMO) – this is a further warning sign. The situation becomes particularly critical when social contacts are neglected or important developmental milestones are missed, even though the young people secretly know that their behaviour is harmful to them.

Is scrolling still fun?

According to the expert, a key point is the question of enjoyment: is scrolling or gaming actually still fun? «Sometimes you see gamers sitting in front of the screen, completely tense, who feel they have to carry on even though the enjoyment has long since gone,» says Bilke-Hentsch.

Whilst an enthusiastic 11-year-old might simply react with frustration or aggression if their game is interrupted – which, during puberty, is to some extent a normal way of venting frustration – the addict completely lacks the ability to decide to stop.

Interestingly, people with media addiction are often well aware of their condition. Unlike with other mental illnesses, those affected usually know full well that they are addicted, but are no longer able to change their situation on their own. Despite the seriousness of the condition, psychiatrist Bilke-Hentsch offers the following assessment: from a clinical perspective, media addiction does not rank among the most severe mental illnesses.

Children are aware of the problems associated with mobile phone use

Interviews with pupils at Adelboden Secondary School show that children and young people are well aware that mobile phone use can also be problematic.

Elijah says, for example: «Sometimes, when I'm scrolling, I realise: «I actually wanted to do something else, but I just keep watching videos.» Then I put my phone away and go out to see my colleagues, for example. When I'm doing something like «skiing», I don't find it hard to put my phone away.»

And he adds: «When we're playing football, I do have my mobile in my jacket pocket, but I don't need it at all then. At school, we have to hand in our mobiles or leave them at home. I actually think that's a good thing, because otherwise everyone would probably just be on their mobiles or messing about.»