Once upon a time, leisure for young people meant reading books, playing cricket, or chatting with friends. Today, it is dominated by mobile phones, especially short video content on TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook Reels. What began as harmless fun has now become a dangerous addiction.
These platforms are designed for endless scrolling. One video ends, another appears instantly, trapping users in a dopamine-driven cycle of "just one more." Many university students now admit they cannot fall asleep without scrolling reels for hours. This is not entertainment anymore, it is addiction.
The impact is visible in education and career preparation. Students often waste two to three hours daily on short videos, leading to poor concentration, declining grades, and loss of valuable study or skill-building time. In the long run, this habit threatens their professional future.
Equally concerning are the effects on mental health. Young people fall into comparison traps, measuring their worth against others' "perfect" online lives. Instant gratification makes real-life challenges feel boring, while low engagement with their own content can trigger anxiety and depression. Social isolation is also growing, as conversations and family bonding are replaced by reels and trends.
Physical health is at risk too. Constant screen time causes eye strain, headaches, and back pain. The World Health Organization reports that teenagers spending over four hours a day on screens show a 30 per cent drop in physical activity-raising risks of obesity and heart disease.
This problem is not limited to teenagers; even adults are affected. But the danger is most severe for the youth, whose education and career years are being consumed by endless scrolling.
To address this, awareness and discipline are essential. Parents and teachers must guide young people, while schools should introduce digital literacy to promote balanced technology use. Alternatives like reading, sports and skill-building should be encouraged.
Short videos can be a source of fun and even learning, but when addiction takes over, they damage studies, health and relationships. The youth are the future of Bangladesh; they must learn how to balance before the screen steals their potential.
Arshie Akter Sunny
Mass Communication and Journalism
Jagannath University
arshieakter205@gmail.com
