Goes up each time a demo below pulls you along.
Eight tricks that keep you scrolling
Social apps lean on a handful of old psychological levers. Each panel below is a working copy. Try them, then look at the counter at the top.
A newspaper has a last page and a TV show has an end credit. A feed loads the next batch before you reach the bottom, so you never hit the moment where you'd decide you're done.
Counter-move: tick the box to give this feed a finish line and see how the pull changes. In real apps, set a timer before you open them.
Your friends only post so often, so a feed of just them runs out. Apps top it up with posts from people you never followed, picked because they get strong reactions. The feed stops running dry, and you lose the moment where you'd put the phone down.
Counter-move: switch to the Following tab, or use a list of friends. Notice how short it is, and treat that as the point.
Slot machines pay out on an unpredictable schedule, and so does a refresh. Most pulls show nothing. Now and then one shows something great, and you can't tell which.
Counter-move: check at set times instead of whenever you're bored. A fixed schedule removes the gamble.
Stopping takes a decision. Continuing takes none. The big button keeps you watching, and the cancel link is small and grey on purpose.
Counter-move: switch autoplay off in the app's settings. Tick the box to see the same screen with an equal choice.
Losing something feels worse than gaining the same thing feels good. A streak turns an optional habit into something you could lose, so skipping a day starts to feel expensive.
Counter-move: mute streak reminders, and ask whether you'd still send the snap if there were no number.
A red badge looks like someone needs you. Open it and many of the items are the app advertising itself. The badge comes back a few seconds later either way.
Counter-move: turn off badges for everything except messages from people you know.
The notification says something happened but not what. The only way to learn the answer is to open the app, and once you're inside, the feed is right there waiting.
Counter-move: allow notifications only for messages from people. If a notification won't say what it is, treat it as an advert. Tick the box to see the same toasts with the answer on the front.
A search you make in a browser or another app can be passed to advertising companies and linked to you. It then shapes the ads and posts you see everywhere else, which is why one search for shoes can keep showing up for days.
Counter-move: say no when an app asks to track you, use a browser that blocks trackers, and pause ad personalisation and search history in your account settings. Untick the box to see the same search with sharing off.
Each of these tests well, so each one ships. The counter-move is always the same: remove the default, so that continuing becomes a choice you make on purpose.