Less scroll, more life, please

WE really need to do something drastic about this worldwide pandemic of a sweet poison called compulsive scrolling. We need to replace our phone habits with real life before this endless scrolling destroys our attention span. Yes, we need a radical detox from this mindless scrolling addiction. 

 To have a handle on this very disturbing phenomenon, we need to know its causes. Some studies point to the psychological angles of escapism, boredom, stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, fear of missing out, loneliness, etc. 

 There is also what is called as the neurological cause where variable reward systems in apps trigger dopamine release, reinforcing the behavior. Another cause could be termed as environmental where people get hooked to compulsive scrolling because of the easy, 24/7 phone access, providing unlimited feeds. 

 Also, there is now a great social pressure for people to stay online practically indefinitely. Many now believe this is their way of connecting with others and with the world in general. What they miss to realize that such desire for connection is more a matter of self-indulgence rather than a genuine desire to reach out to others. What they actually want is to satisfy their own interests. They just use others for that purpose. 

 What can also be observed is that there appears to be low parental monitoring. Family life is greatly diminished and everyone appears to be isolating themselves in their own world making themselves vulnerable to their weaknesses and the many temptations around. 

 One kind of compulsive scrolling is what is called doomscrolling where one gets the habit of compulsively scrolling through negative news, social media posts or content even though it makes him feel anxious, stressed, or down. Because of that, one’s brain wants to stay more informed and so he would keep on scrolling for more updates. There’s actually no satisfying endpoint since each post leads to another. 

 Even worse than this is what is referred to as pornscrolling which would lead one to scroll for the next more intense or stimulating image or video. Here the dopamine spikes are stronger and more addictive than news-based dopamine. And while doomscrolling makes one anxious, pornscrolling adds shame and secrecy which increases stress and isolation. 

 Because of the terrible effects of compulsive scrolling, many people, especially the young ones, end up becoming addicts and needing urgent medical and professional interventions. No wonder that we can observe a spurt of cases of mental illness nowadays. 

 What can help to control or regulate this addiction is to tell everyone to turn off notifications and keep phones out of reach for a period of time. One has to set time limits in the use of their gadgets. 

 When the urge to open them hits one, it might be a good idea to do a 2-minute alternative, like stretching, drinking water, coming up with a clear valid purpose for using the phone, etc. One should not sleep with the phone beside him. These gadgets should be charged outside the bedroom. 

 Parents should also set guidelines at home regarding the use of these gadgets. They need to monitor and limit children’s gadget use, especially during weekends and holidays. They have to teach the children how to critically evaluate content and to manage screen time. Schools and offices should set relevant policies in this regard. Perhaps some phone-free zones and times can be given. 

 On the whole, everyone should be reminded of who they really are, what the real purpose of life is, and how to make good use of time so as to relate everything in life to the ultimate goal of our life.