Your Smartphone Could Be Stealing Years of Your Life: Scientists Warn of the Consequences of Endless Scrolling

Spending hours scrolling through social media may have far more serious consequences for health than previously thought. According to a major scientific review, excessive screen use is linked to millions of years of life lived with mental health disorders.

Scientists estimate that screen time could account for nearly 2.8 million years lived with mental health conditions worldwide. Using smartphones and other digital devices for more than two hours a day was associated with poorer mental health and a higher risk of depression.

Researchers suggest that one reason may be that excessive screen time displaces sleep, physical activity and face-to-face interaction. Users are also constantly exposed to features on social platforms specifically designed to keep them engaged for as long as possible.

Scrolling through Instagram and TikTok may also be linked to around 240,000 years of life lost to obesity worldwide.

These striking estimates come from a major scientific review examining the negative effects of screen use. The research draws on data involving approximately 9 million young people.

The authors of the study, published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, are an international team of specialists from universities across Europe, North America and Asia. The researchers link the increasingly digital nature of everyday life to rising rates of mental health problems, sleep disturbances and insufficient physical activity among young people.

The experts analyzed the findings of 121 previous studies and found a consistent association between problematic, addiction-like use of digital media and a range of health problems. These included anxiety, depression, sleep disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions, including ADHD and autism.

The researchers also accused technology companies of treating global health as a secondary concern and called for “coordinated global action” to reduce potential harm. In particular, they argued that companies should disclose information about the health effects of specific “addictive” features built into digital platforms.

“Digital media use has now become an integral part of childhood and young people’s lives,” said Professor Ilona Kickbusch, who led The Lancet review. “Governments have allowed technology companies to set their own rules, resulting in business models built around capturing attention and collecting data, while health has become a secondary concern.”

Digital technology is now virtually ever-present in young people’s lives. At the same time, children are gaining access to smartphones and social media at increasingly younger ages.

The new findings come amid growing concern about the impact of screens on children and teenagers. Earlier this year, a major study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that greater screen time was associated with lower academic performance as well as an increased risk of emotional and language difficulties.

The researchers noted that the effects of screen exposure were comparable to, and in some cases even greater than, those of other factors known to influence child development, including family socioeconomic status, parental behavior and premature birth.