Scrolling Is the New Gambling: A 1 Hour Guide To Anti-Brain Rot

As someone who spent a decade online as a creator, I’ve felt both the perks and pull of social media.

Natalie Alzate is author of the best-selling Offline Humans (DK, October 2025).

We touch our phones 2,617 times a day on average. The endless swiping isn’t random, it’s the same brain loop that makes slot machines addictive. Scientists call it the ventral tegmental area, a dopamine hub that craves novelty.

Put simply: scrolling is the new gambling. And while the house always wins in Vegas...