The Screen Grab

Something had changed. Almost without noticing, Dhisha Kukalakuntla had stopped reading, listening to music, and hanging out with friends. Instead, the 18-year-old from Dallas, Texas, spent every free moment on her phone scanning social media feeds. Seeing a relatable TikTok video about growing up Indian American gave her a rush of happiness. And every time she “liked” a clip, her “For You” feed would fill with more videos just like it. 

“It felt like a never-ending pot of gold,” says Kukalakuntla. A few minutes would quickly turn into hours, “until eventually my brain was too exhausted to accomplish anything I’d set out to do for the day,” she admits. Then regret would kick in, sending her back online to escape the feeling.

Sound familiar? According to experts, many tweens and teens are caught in a similar loop. Recreational screen time—including phone, computer, and TV use—among people ages 8 to 18 grew by 17 percent from 2019 to 2021, reports the nonprofit Common Sense Media. Average daily screen use is now 5 hours and 33 minutes for tweens and 8 hours and 39 minutes for teens. 

Something had changed. Dhisha Kukalakuntla had stopped reading, listening to music, and hanging out with friends. But the 18-year-old from Dallas, Texas, had barely noticed. Instead, she was spending every free moment on her phone scanning social media feeds. Seeing a relatable TikTok video about growing up Indian American gave her a rush of happiness. She would “like” a clip. And every time she did, her “For You” feed would fill with more videos just like it.

“It felt like a never-ending pot of gold,” says Kukalakuntla. A few minutes would quickly turn into hours, “until eventually my brain was too exhausted to accomplish anything I’d set out to do for the day,” she admits. Then regret would kick in. That sent her back online to escape the feeling.

Sound familiar? According to experts, many tweens and teens are caught in a similar loop. Recreational screen time among people ages 8 to 18 grew by 17 percent from 2019 to 2021, reports the nonprofit Common Sense Media. That includes phone, computer, and TV use. Average daily screen use is now 5 hours and 33 minutes for tweens. It is 8 hours and 39 minutes for teens.

Experts say the Covid-19 pandemic likely drove the rise, as kids depended on screens for connection and entertainment while social distancing. But Big Tech companies also played a key role: Their apps, games, and social networks are intentionally set up to keep you hooked. After all, the longer you’re engaged, the more ads you see. And the more ads you see, the more money tech companies are paid by advertisers. 

“It’s what we call the attention economy,” says Jean Rogers of Fairplay, a children’s advocacy nonprofit. “Our attention is being co-opted [taken over] for these companies to profit.” 

But Big Tech’s gains come at a cost for tweens and teens. Too much screen time can negatively affect sleep and general well-being. Some studies have also linked overuse with mental health issues (see “The Dangers of Not Looking Up,” below). 

That’s why many parents, advocacy groups, and schools are pushing back through lawsuits, petitions, and public education campaigns. You can stand up for yourself too—using the strategies on these pages.

Experts say the Covid-19 pandemic likely drove the rise. Kids were depending on screens for connection and entertainment while social distancing. But Big Tech companies also played a key role: Their apps, games, and social networks are intentionally set up to keep you hooked. The longer you are engaged, the more ads you see. And the more ads you see, the more money tech companies are paid by advertisers.

“It’s what we call the attention economy,” says Jean Rogers of Fairplay. That is a children’s advocacy nonprofit. “Our attention is being co-opted [taken over] for these companies to profit.”

But Big Tech’s gains come at a cost for tweens and teens. Too much screen time can negatively affect sleep and general well-being. Some studies have also linked overuse with mental health issues. (See “The Dangers of Not Looking Up,” below.)

That is why many parents, advocacy groups, and schools are pushing back. They are using lawsuits, petitions, and public education campaigns. You can stand up for yourself too: Use the strategies on these pages.

Ever notice that you never reach the “end” on apps like TikTok, Instagram, or Snapchat? New content keeps loading, and it purposely consists of posts both dull (sock ads, yawn) and delightful (puppy videos, aw). That combination appeals to our brains, which respond strongly to unpredictable rewards. On Instagram, for instance, you may see several posts that don’t interest you and then a video from your favorite comic. It’s so funny! At that moment, your brain releases a feel-good chemical called dopamine. You want that happy feeling again, so you keep scrolling. 

Ever notice that you never reach the “end” on apps like TikTok, Instagram, or Snapchat? New content keeps loading. It purposely consists of posts both dull (sock ads, yawn) and delightful (puppy videos, aw). That combination appeals to our brains. Our brains respond strongly to unpredictable rewards. For example, you may see several posts on Instagram that do not interest you. But then there is a video from your favorite comic. It is so funny! At that moment, your brain releases a feel-good chemical called dopamine. You want that happy feeling again. So you keep scrolling.

The real benefit of most activities occurs in the first hour, says psychologist Edward Spector, who treats teens with unhealthy digital habits. After that? Not so fun. Spector suggests identifying which digital activities make you lose track of time. Then before starting them, set a hard stop at a specific time, such as when dinner is ready. 

The real benefit of most activities occurs in the first hour, says Edward Spector. He is a psychologist who treats teens with unhealthy digital habits. After that hour? Not so fun. Spector suggests identifying which digital activities make you lose track of time. Then before starting them, set a hard stop at a specific time, such as when dinner is ready.

Like many teens, Vinaya Sivakumar, 18, felt a bit lonely during the Covid-19 pandemic. One day, she watched some TikTok videos set to sad songs. The next time she looked at the app, her “For You” page was flooded with quotes about depression. “That’s all I would see content-wise,” she recalls.

As the Mason, Ohio, teen found out, we’re not totally in control of what we view online. Much of what we see is decided by algorithms that rank content based on how much time we’re likely to spend on it. Humans are hardwired to pay more attention to upsetting things (your life is in danger!) than positive ones. So algorithms may intentionally send you down a rabbit hole of negative content.

Like many teens, Vinaya Sivakumar, 18, felt a bit lonely during the Covid-19 pandemic. One day, she watched some TikTok videos set to sad songs. The next time she looked at the app, her “For You” page was flooded with quotes about depression. “That’s all I would see content-wise,” she recalls.

As the teen from Mason, Ohio, found out, we are not totally in control of what we view online. Much of what we see is decided by algorithms. They rank content based on how much time we are likely to spend on it. Humans are hardwired to pay more attention to upsetting things (like “your life is in danger!”) than positive ones. So algorithms may intentionally send you down a rabbit hole of negative content

Avoid clicking on suggested content—it only feeds the algorithm beast. That means skipping the “Recommended Videos” on YouTube and the “For You,” “Explore,” and “Suggestions” screens on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Instead, go directly to your feed to see the accounts you’ve chosen to follow. And if what you see causes stress, anger, or sadness, consider deleting the app entirely or use screen time limits to enforce breaks. 

Avoid clicking on suggested content. It only feeds the algorithm beast. That means skipping the “Recommended Videos” on YouTube. It means skipping the “For You,” “Explore,” and “Suggestions” screens on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Instead, go directly to your feed to see the accounts you have chosen to follow. And if what you see causes stress, anger, or sadness, consider deleting the app entirely. Or use screen time limits to enforce breaks.

A friend just tagged you in a photo! Your bonus points are expiring! There’s a one-day sale on sneakaers! These messages—called notifications—ding, flash, and buzz at all hours, demanding our attention. The average smartphone user in the United States gets 46 of these nudges daily. The purpose is to drive you back to the platform.

A friend just tagged you in a photo! Your bonus points are expiring! There is a one-day sale on sneakers! These messages are called notifications. They ding, flash, and buzz at all hours, demanding our attention. The average smartphone user in the United States gets 46 of these nudges daily. The purpose is to drive you back to the platform.

Remember: Digital devices are tools. They exist to help you communicate, learn, and have fun when you choose to use them. Turn off nudges by going to Settings > Notifications on your device. (You can opt to still allow certain notifications, such as messages from family members, to get through.) And when an app asks whether it can send “push notifications,” select no. Those types of alerts can pop up even after you’ve closed the app. 

Remember: Digital devices are tools. They exist to help you communicate, learn, and have fun when you choose to use them. Turn off nudges by going to Settings > Notifications on your device. (You can opt to keep certain notifications on, such as messages from family members.) And when an app asks whether it can send “push notifications,” choose no. Push notifications can pop up even after you have closed the app.

Is everyone having fun online without you? Probably not, but tech companies want you to experience “fear of missing out” if you don’t engage. On Snapchat, friends are urged to snap each other daily to avoid breaking a streak. Games like Wordle prompt you to share your score—reminding your followers to play too. You may also feel pressure to constantly check your social media feeds and “like” your friends’ content, not to mention keeping up with the latest TikTok trends.

Is everyone having fun online without you? Probably not. But tech companies want you to experience “fear of missing out” if you do not engage. On Snapchat, friends are urged to snap each other daily to avoid breaking a streak. Games like Wordle prompt you to share your score. That reminds your followers to play too. You may also feel pressure to constantly check social media and “like” your friends’ content. Or you may feel you have to keep up with the latest TikTok trends.

Be honest with friends that you’re trying to reduce your screen time—and encourage them to do the same. Come up with a fun IRL activity, like trying a new pizza place or going on a hike. When Dhisha Kukalakuntla feels pressured to respond to a post, she calls or FaceTimes the person instead. “You get your conversation in, and you’re not constantly checking your phone for a text back,” she says.

Be honest with friends: Let them know you are trying to reduce your screen time—and encourage them to do the same. Come up with a fun IRL activity, like trying a new pizza place or going on a hike. When Dhisha Kukalakuntla feels pressured to respond to a post, she calls or FaceTimes the person instead. “You get your conversation in, and you’re not constantly checking your phone for a text back,” she says.

The internet can be a frustrating place to navigate. You finish a level on your game, and you’re forced to watch a preview for another app before you can keep playing. When you click to read an article about your favorite celebrity, an ad for an energy drink starts blaring. You try to stop it, but you’re taken to the drink’s website. Or you’re scrolling when suddenly a distracting commercial fills your screen. This technique is called auto-play. It’s meant to make it hard to avoid engaging with ads. 

The internet can be a frustrating place to navigate. You finish a level on your game. Then you are forced to watch a preview for another app before you can keep playing. Or you click to read an article about your favorite celebrity. Then an ad for an energy drink starts blaring. You try to stop it, but you are taken to the drink’s website. Or you are scrolling when suddenly a distracting commercial fills your screen. This technique is called auto-play. It is meant to make it hard to avoid engaging with ads.

Make advertisements easier to ignore by turning off auto-play. Most browsers (including Edge and Firefox) have the option under Settings > Permissions or Preferences > Auto-play. Chrome doesn’t let users turn off auto-play via the browser, but you can disable it on individual sites like YouTube. 

Make advertisements easier to ignore by turning off auto-play. Most browsers (including Edge and Firefox) have the option under Settings > Permissions or Preferences > Auto-play. Chrome does not let users turn off auto-play via the browser. But you can disable it on individual sites like YouTube.