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Infinite Scrolling Kids and Their Ever-Scrolling Brains

You’ve seen them: The slowly moving flocks of creatures with heads bowed, eyes locked downward, fingers flicking. They may be old. They may be young. But they’re all members of a kindred clan. For we have entered the exotic domain of … The Infinite Scroller.

Of course, that domain can be pretty much anyplace, from the supermarket to the school yard to your living room. Because, in a way, we’re all part of that group if we use any form of social media. And let’s face facts, we rarely even think about the “infinite” side of our scrolling as we continually flip through one TikTok vid or YouTube short to the next.

However, the American Psychological Association (APA) recently came out with a report that suggests that all that scrolling isn’t very good for us. And it flat out states that it’s horrible for kids.

Now, before you scroll away, let me say that I understand your hesitancy to read another “bad for the kids” article. So, let’s just put aside the fact that kids’ developing brains can be hypersensitive to social feedback and susceptible to harmful content in social media for a minute (other things that APA report addresses) and just focus on scrolling for a second.

It turns out that infinite scrolling isn’t just a cool way of making the social media journey more user-friendly—even though it feels that way. It’s more of a secret brain thumper that hits kids extra hard. In fact, even the inventor of the infinite scroll, web designer Aza Raskin, is publicly apologizing these days for its potentially harmful impact.

So, what’s going on?

Well, that ability to scroll and scroll without ever reaching the end on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and other platforms is a big part of the hook that keeps users tied to their social feeds. It plays on what experts call our built in “unit bias.” What that means is that we are naturally motivated to want to reach the end of something that we’re reading or watching. But if that thing just keeps going on to the next appealing image or quick thought, we are inclined to stick with it.

A digital collar-grab like that is tough enough for adults to push back from, but researchers have found that it’s particularly difficult for tweens and teens to break free.

APA Chief Science Officer Mitch Prinstein explained why that is, saying that at puberty children begin to crave attention and positive feedback from peers. “In contrast, [brain] regions involved in our ability to inhibit our behavior, and resist temptations (i.e., the prefrontal cortex) do not fully develop until early adulthood (i.e., approximately 10–15 years later),” he said. “In other words, when it comes to youths’ cravings for social attention, they are ‘all gas pedal with no brakes.’”

Add to that the fact that social platforms and infinite scrolling seem to be designed to keep kids engaged for as long as possible, to keep them on there, Prinstein told NPR. And no wonder: One study found that social media platforms made nearly $11 billion in advertising revenue off kids and teens in 2022. But Prinstein stated that because of all that, over 50% of teens report having at least one symptom of clinical dependency on social media.

Infinite scroll creator Aza Raskin estimates that scrolling like that wastes more than 200,000 human lifetimes daily. It can lead to obsessive-compulsive behavior, sleep deprivation, anxiety, and depression. And the fact is that all that wasted time is often spent on things that aren’t improving our lives in the slightest. Sure, a scared cat video may be a cute distraction, but after a long scroll session, the most you tend to walk away with is the certainty that felines don’t like cucumbers and … the fact that you can’t get that empty scrolling hour back again.

So, what can be done for a teen with an ever-scrolling finger and inflamed wrist tendon?

Well, this is one of those cases where parental observation, common sense communication and some sensible social media time limits can be helpful. Look for opportunities to put down your phone and encourage your teens to join you. And for younger parents who are looking toward a day when their child may ask for their own social media badge, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has a few suggestions in his new book: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.

We talked about Haidt’s excellent book on The Plugged In ShowEpisode 245: Screens and Anxiety, plus: Adventures in Odyssey Celebrates 1000 Episodes.” Haidt suggests, among other things, that parents call for:

  • No smartphones before high school.
  • No social media before 16.
  • And phone-free school.

And he’s got oh so much more to say on the subject. If you want to hear some of it, you could put a pause on the scrolling, grab your ear buds and check out our podcast for a few  more tips. Or go pick up the book. There’s that, too.

Bob Hoose

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

One Response

  1. This is part of why I use a Facebook mod called “FB Purity,” which among many other things, stops the page from loading more than about fifty posts, at which point it refuses to load more.

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