The Science of Social Media: Why It Feels So Hard to Stop Scrolling

It’s something I’ve asked myself so many times: “Why can’t I stop scrolling on TikTok?” Sometimes I genuinely want to put my phone down, but it feels like I’m not in control.

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Dr. Nancy DeAngelis

CRNP, Director of Behavioral Health

"Social media platforms drive surges of dopamine to the brain to keep consumers coming back over and over again. The shares, likes and comments on these platforms trigger the brain’s reward center, resulting in a high similar to the one people feel when gambling or using drugs."

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According to the Addiction Center, this struggle has a scientific explanation. They explain that social media addiction largely stems from dopamine—the chemical in our brain responsible for pleasure and reward. Platforms like TikTok create social environments that trigger dopamine production, similar to what happens in gambling addictions or even drug use. Essentially, we’re chasing a high, and social media is our drug of choice.

Think about it: every time we scroll, we’re searching for the next funny video, relatable meme, or fascinating clip to give us that dopamine hit. It’s not just about entertainment—it’s about the anticipation of finding something even more satisfying than the last thing we saw. The more we scroll, the more we get trapped in this cycle, always hoping for that “next best thing.” And the platforms know exactly how to keep us hooked, from autoplay features to endless recommendations. It’s no wonder stepping away feels so hard—it’s designed to be. Additionally, more people get addicted to Tik Tok rather than Instagram because videos are more stimulating than mere pictures of moments in time. We want to see the whole story but when it gets boring after 5 seconds of watching we move on, perpetuating the cycle once more.

Another reason I think that social media is so addicting is the ability to comment. We as teenagers have this need to express ourselves. However, it is not so easy to do so in person, when we are face to face with reality and so social media is the perfect solution for this. We feel like we can freely say what we want when we want to without any consequences. According to Steve Rose PHD Counselling, "Addictions were once considered a moral issue based on the weak-will of the user. Then, addictions became classified as a disease under the medical model. More recently, addictions are often viewed as an ineffective way to cope with unmet life needs." We can't cope with reality so we turn to our phones to give us a path to validation.

Like any addiction, breaking free from social media is tough, but I believe the key is to find joy elsewhere, get a dopamine boost from other activities, like sports or chatting with a friend. Also, just delete the app. You'll still feel the urge to use social media, but if it's not there, you can't use it. Over time, social media will become a distant memory, and I'm sure you'll be more productive in your life.

That's it for my first blog. Thank you for reading.

What social media app do you use the most?

• Tik Tok
• Instagram
• Youtube
• Twitter

If you want to read more on the topic, the websites I used to create this blog are cited below:

Hilliard, J. (2025, January 14). Social Media Addiction: Recognize the signs. Addiction Center. https://www.addictioncenter.com/behavioral-addictions/social-media-addiction/

Singh, R. (2023, July 3). How to stop social media addiction. HabitStrong. https://www.habitstrong.com/stop-social-media-addiction/

Why we are addicted to social media: The Psychology of Likes. (2021, November 6). Steve Rose, PhD. https://steverosephd.com/why-we-are-addicted-to-likes/#:~:text=Addictions%20were%20once%20considered%20a,cope%20with%20unmet%20life%20needs.