Over the last two decades, we’ve been told more and more about how scrolling on our phones for prolonged periods of time can have a negative impact on our health.
With our modern-day technology, with upgraded phones, news cycles, addictive apps, and more, it can be really tempting to stay on your phone all day. After all, many people can relate to having a phone screen time that’s well over two hours a day. Well, this might be your wakeup call to take more breaks from scrolling, as Dr. Baibing Chen, otherwise known as Dr. Bing, a neurologist and content creator, recently made a video that explains just how much scrolling can hurt your brain, potentially causing ‘brain rot.’ Read more about what he had to say below.
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Dr. Bing Explains How 'Endless' Scrolling & Use Of Smartphones Can Harm Your Brain
There are a lot of people out in the world who feel as though they can't get off their phones. It's understandable, as there's so much content to consume these days, and on apps like Instagram, TikTok, and more, it feels like you can keep scrolling through pictures, videos, and posts, never running out of things to look at.
Scrolling is also a way that many people 'blow off steam,' as it's a way for them to distract themselves and not have to interact with anyone in person. However, spending several hours of each day on a phone, scrolling, can do more harm than you think.
"What we know is that spending hours a day endlessly scrolling is linked to more depression, attention problems, mental fatigue, and poor sleep, especially in kids and teens," explains Dr. Bing in one of his videos. "Now this is not because screens kill brain cells, it's because of how they constantly pull on the brain's attention."
How 'Non-Stop Content' Makes 'Brain Rot' Worse
One of the most complex parts about social media apps, especially ones like TikTok, where you could just scroll through endless videos, is that it's easy to get trapped or feel sucked in by your phone, as each video is almost like instant gratification. This is what Dr. Bing notes is making it harder for you to focus, get quality sleep, and more.
"If you keep getting fast, non-stop content, that will keep your brain in reaction mode, and when the brain is always reacting, it gets harder to slow down, to focus deeply, to plan ahead, or to stay with 'boring' but important tasks," notes the neurologist.
Dr. Bing also noted that scrolling tends to do the "biggest damage" to people's sleep cycles, as scrolling in bed "delays" when you fall asleep and "shortens" the amount of quality sleep you get. Subsequently, not getting enough sleep can worsen your mood, shorten your attention span, and more.
"There's another issue," adds Dr. Bing. "Time spent scrolling replaces things you need to stay healthy, like movement, real conversations with real people, and even boredom. You can think of screens like ultra-processed foods for the brain. A little is fine, but living on it changes how the system runs."
The neurologist finishes by reminding his followers that they don't have to "give up" technology, as that's nearly impossible these days. However, it's important to set "boundaries" like keeping your phone out of your bed and being "intentional" about the content you consume.
