Brain rot isn’t just an internet joke, rather a growing concern linked to social media addiction, shrinking attention spans, and the quiet loss of hobbies. This post explores why we keep scrolling, what it’s doing to our brains, and how to reclaim intentional time.
Brain Rot ; noun : a perceived loss of intelligence or critical thinking skills, associated with the overconsumption of unchallenging or frivolous content online (Levine, 2025).
Concerningly named ‘Oxford’s Word of the Year‘ in 2025, brain rot has become an ongoing joke in reference to different words and phrases that people acquire from being “chronically online”. I consider myself as a habitual social media user, but I’m becoming all too aware of the harsh cognitive effects it’s having, that I can no longer use it without feeling subsequent guilt after. I’ve had my fair share of TikTok breaks, lasting from one month to four, and I hate to say it does make a difference.
Our attention spans were one of the first to take a hit, people joking about how they can no longer watch movies without looking at their phone. Next thing you know, TikTok is adding a 2x speed feature for people that don’t want to listen to someone talking too slow. I forgot YouTube was even a thing, but every app just becomes all the more similar to TikTok, introducing reels and shorts in an effort to keep up with the attention downward spiral.
Why can’t we stop, even when we know it’s bad?
You see, that’s the point…social media may not be a substance, but it is certainly addictive. Much like an addiction, excessive amounts can result in “compulsive behavioural involvement, a lack of interest in other activities, and physical & mental symptoms when attempting to stop the behaviour” (D’Arienzo et al., 2019).
It is said that social media will have a different effect on a person, dependent on their “prerequisites and personality ” (Xiangyu, 2023). Loneliness is one of the factors leading to addiction, alongside problems with socialising, resiliency, and lack of problem-solving skills (Chegeni et al., 2021). For example, people who struggle with face-to-face encounters will often turn to social media to fulfil their needs for interpersonal relationships, through a stress free ‘alternative’.
Now, this isn’t just a matter of us pushing our problems under the rug, the dangerous aspect of social media addiction (SMA) is that people are continuing to entertain it unknowingly. There’s a reason Facebook is currently worth almost $1.7 trillion USD, it is the pillars of addiction that keeps them standing. Dependency, satisfaction, environment and marketing. Think about it.
How many times a day do you depend on a social media platform to communicate with someone?
How much satisfaction do you feel when you know someone is experiencing the same struggles as you are?
How often do you find yourself stuck scrolling because the videos are perfectly marketed to your interests?
Why is it becoming more difficult to bond with older generations? We are living in different environments. The once ‘common ground’ is dug up. They cannot join in on the current trends or memes without the online presence, and with that consuming a lot of the younger generation’s interests, what else is left to discuss? We lack hobbies.
How to Reduce Social Media Addiction Without Quitting Entirely
This brings me to the suggestions, because why scare you with the consequences of SMA without any idea of how to overcome it? That would be cruel. These suggestions are based on an article written by Xiangyu Wu, which can be found here.
No. 1 Bring Awareness and Intentionality
As mentioned, the scariest part is people’s unwillingness to change their habits, because they do not realise there is a problem to begin with. On an iPhone you have access to both your screen time, alongside how many times a day you reach for your phone. Take a look (don’t worry I was surprised too), but we want to know the starting point so we can acknowledge our progress. Let’s start with a small goal, the average person picks up their phone 100 times a day, so make it 50. It will prevent a mindless look at the notifications that are not going to get your work done for you. You’ll be going on your phone for an actual purpose, which allows you to spend your time intentionally. Although iPhones have a screen-time limit feature, I find they’re way too easy to bypass, which has had me looking into purchasing a Brick as a fool-proof alternative.
No. 2 Start the Stopwatch
Sometimes we do go onto our phones for a specific task, until the subconscious habits take the rein, and you’re looking at what your friend is up to on holidays in the luxury of your claustrophobic office. Before you get on your phone, set a timer for however long you will need to get the task done, which will bring your focus back to where it is needed.
No. 3 Sub the Blue Light for Sunlight
A large contributor to scrolling is free time. Why feel guilty about it if we have nothing else on the agenda? That’s the thing, it is becoming less common to pursue new hobbies (Grealy, 2025). We “don’t have time”, but we do, we are just not using the free time to our advantage. Surveys found that people spend an average of 2 hours a day sharing, liking and tweeting on socials, paired with the ability of SMA to reduce productivity, life-satisfaction, and promote unhealthy social relationships (Sun & Zhang, 2021), it is no wonder we keep turning back to our phones to make us feel better. The instant gratification that we receive from scrolling is what leaves us wanting more, a never ending pool of content that can lead to dopamine desensitisation. As a result, we find it more challenging to consume longer, uncut content, or pursue hobbies that are a slowly rewarding craft (Yousef et al., 2025).
Consequently, we are substituting our psychological wellbeing. There is a correlation between increased screen-time and poorer self-esteem, increased incidence and severity of mental health issues, impaired concentration, memory issues, and increased risk of premature cognitive decline (Yousef et al., 2025). On the upside, life satisfaction is inversely related to SMA, meaning that pursuing hobbies and interests that ‘fill your cup’ can result in a decrease in the addiction. Social media is no longer your ‘surrogate’ for happiness (D’Arienzo et al., 2019).
We want to find the driver for wanting to be on your phone. Are you feeling lonely? Are you avoiding anxiety or boredom? Are you too familiar with constant overstimulation? Is it a fear of missing out? Dig deeper and find a new hobby to address it.
You may not believe me, but the purpose of this post is not to instil fear, or cause a break up between you and your beloved phone, but to bring it back to your conscious. Writing this was a gentle reminder to myself that I need to reinforce my own boundaries, because the mental trade-off is simply not worth it.
Good Luck ♥︎
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