As a college student, it is not uncommon to hear my peers passively comment on their social media use. Descending into Berkeley’s Main Stacks to study, I’ve overheard students complain, “I was going to get started on my outline, but then I rotted on TikTok for 4 hours,” or “I was doomscrolling and didn’t even realize it got so dark outside.” Many of my friends will periodically delete Instagram or TikTok off their phones to physically prevent themselves from procrastinating work. I also regularly hear my peers seeking out alone time on social media expressing, “I'm so exhausted, I just need time to bed rot.” It seems the addictive quality of these platforms leads many people in my generation trapped between wanting to keep “scrolling” online even though they inevitably regret it later.  

While these comments are expressed jokingly, the language used to describe online habits is anything but lighthearted. For example, the use of “rot” in expressions such as “rotting online” and “brain rot” reflects an intuitive sense that social media use is unhealthy. It is no coincidence, then, that recent studies reveal extended social media use is correlated with long-term negative effects on mental health.