The Real Reason You Can’t Stop Doomscrolling (It’s Not Willpower) | Catherine Price

Catherine Price is an award-winning health and science journalist, speaker, and #1 New York Times bestselling author best known for her work on screen/life balance and phone addiction. She's the founder of Screen/Life Balance® and has written several major books including How to Break Up With Your Phone®, The Power of Fun, Vitamania, and The Amazing Generation (co-authored with Jonathan Haidt). She also writes the Substack newsletter "How to Feel Alive" and her TED talk on fun has surpassed 5 million views. Her work has been featured in outlets like NPR, The New York Times, Good Morning America, CNN, The Today Show, TIME Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal, among many others. Today on the show we discuss: how social media apps are engineered to keep us hooked, why your phone can feel so hard to put down even when it’s hurting your life, how dopamine triggers like novelty, likes, comments, streaks, and endless scrolling hijack attention, why Snapchat may be especially dangerous for kids, how excessive phone use impacts anxiety, focus, sleep, relationships, and real-life connection, and the simple steps Catherine Price recommends to break the cycle and build a healthier relationship with your phone. Time Stamps: 00:00: What Actually Happens When You Open Instagram or TikTok? 01:05: Why You Keep Scrolling Even When You Know It’s Bad for You 04:50: Is Your Phone Actually Making Your Life Better? 09:00: The Dopamine Trap Behind Social Media Addiction 11:00: Is Social Media Addiction Like Drug Addiction? 18:05: How Being Distracted by Her Phone Got Catherine Mugged 22:36: Why Snapchat Is So Dangerous for Kids 40:50: The Link Between Social Media, Anxiety & Depression 48:00: The 3 Questions That Can Break Your Phone Habit 51:45: Practical Steps to Get Your Phone Addiction Under Control ⚠ WELLNESS DISCLAIMER ⚠ Please be advised; the topics related to health and mental health in my content are for informational, discussion, and entertainment purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your health or mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your current condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard from your favorite creator, on social media, or shared within content you’ve consumed. If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. If you do not have a health professional who is able to assist you, use these resources to find help: Emergency Medical Services—911 If the situation is potentially life-threatening, get immediate emergency assistance by calling 911, available 24 hours a day. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org. SAMHSA addiction and mental health treatment Referral Helpline, 1-877-SAMHSA7 (1-877-726-4727) and https://www.samhsa.gov