Health2 min
Lancet experts say teens' endless scrolling is a design problem, not weak willpower
A three-paper Lancet Series argues that governments should regulate app design now instead of waiting for proof that screens cause harm.
Public health experts writing in a three-paper Series in The Lancet say it is unfair to blame teenagers who can't stop scrolling. They argue the fault lies with business models, app design and weak rules, and they want governments to act now instead of waiting for conclusive proof of harm.
The Series was chaired by Professor Ilona Kickbusch of the Digital Transformations for Health Lab in Switzerland. Dr. Jay Shaw of the University of Toronto led its first paper. Their case shifts the question parents hear most often. It is less about how many hours a child spends on a screen and more about what the apps were built to do.
The authors are open about the limits of the science. Heavy, addiction-like use is linked to poorer mental health, sleep and physical activity, but a link is not proof of cause, and the authors rate the certainty of the evidence as low. Kickbusch argues that scale still matters. With so many children online, she said, even small adverse effects could add up to significant public health consequences, which is why the group wants a precautionary approach.
Shaw points to features such as infinite scroll, autoplay and personalized recommendation feeds. In his words, most platforms are designed to capture attention and collect data, not to protect health. The authors write that these were deliberate choices, and that they have encouraged screen time already known to be harmful.
The numbers show the scale. The authors cite an estimate that people online in 2025 spent an average of 141 minutes a day on social media apps, about two hours and 20 minutes. A 2025 survey of more than 10,000 US adults found an average of more than six hours a day on phone apps.
The Series also compares the technology industry with tobacco and ultra-processed food, industries that worked to weaken regulation while their products damaged health. It says governments have let digital companies regulate themselves for decades, with commercial growth coming first. Professor Barbara Prainsack of the University of Vienna, a co-author, said tech firms are borrowing a familiar playbook: manufacture doubt, discredit critics and frame regulation as a threat to freedom. She added that a lack of regulation does not leave technology ungoverned. It means companies write the rules instead of public policy.
The authors also note that adolescence and early adulthood are especially sensitive periods for the brain and social life. They link the idealized selves people build online to body shaming and poorer mental health, particularly among young people. Their verdict is that current approaches to governing the system are deeply insufficient.
Read the original report at Earth.com.
