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Hey bro, did you study for the university exam tomorrow? I heard it's going to be super hard. We needed to study a lot for that exam.

Um, to be honest, no, I didn't study not even one page.

Wait, what? Why not? Are you okay? Did something happen?

Well, yes, something happened, but it's not serious. It's just I feel embarrassed to say it, that's all.

Embarrassed? Come on, man. We've been friends for years. You can tell me anything.

Okay. I didn't study because I was on my phone the whole time. I kept telling myself, "In a few minutes, uh, I'll start studying." But that moment never came. Every time I looked at the time, it was later and later and I was still watching my phone that happened.

Oh man, I've been there too, but like the whole day.

Yes, literally the whole day. I sat with my books in front of me and my phone next to me. Then I saw a video that looked funny, so I watched it. After that another one started automatically. Then I saw some posts from my friends: parties, food, gym selfies, all that stuff. Then I saw news about a famous singer and started reading comments. Then I remembered a game I was playing and I said, "Let me pass this level real quick." And even when I opened a video about psychology, our university major, I told myself, "Well, at least it's related to my career." But still I didn't study. I don't know what happened to me.

Wow. That's exactly how technology addiction works. You feel like you're doing something useful, but in the end you're just losing time.

Yes, that's what I hate. I wasn't even doing anything bad. I wasn't partying or going out. I was just sitting in my room looking at my screen for hours. And now I feel tired, lazy, and even a little angry with myself.

Bro, I totally understand. It happened to me last semester. I had the same problem. I was always on my phone. I couldn't stop scrolling social media, videos, news, games, random websites. I was busy all day, but I wasn't doing anything important. I didn't feel happy. I just felt empty.

Yes. Uh-huh. That's the word, empty.

Yes. It's like you don't even know why you're looking at the phone. You just keep doing it.

Exactly. It's a kind of addiction. People don't talk about it much, but it's real. Your brain gets used to fast information. Every video, every like, every new comment gives your brain a small reward. A little shot of dopamine.

Dopamine? I don't understand. Like a bad thing?

Well, it's a chemical in your brain that makes you feel good. For example, the phone gives you small hits of dopamine all the time. That's why it feels good to check it, but after a while, your brain wants more and more of it. So what do you do? Well, you keep checking and checking and your brain becomes addicted just like with sugar or junk food or even drugs.

Wow, I didn't know that. That sounds really scary.

It is. And the worst part is that we don't even notice. We think we are just relaxing or learning something. But in reality, we are training our brain to lose focus. That's why it's so hard to read a book now or to study, or even to have a long conversation, our attention becomes very short.

Yes, that's happening to me. When I open a book, I feel bored after two pages. I want to check my phone again. It's like my brain is saying, "Where is the fun stuff?"

Exactly. And if we don't stop it now, it gets worse. It can affect your memory, your concentration, your sleep, even your mood. Believe me, some people start to feel sad or depressed because they compare their life to others online or they feel they are wasting time but they can't stop.

I feel all of that. I feel sleepy all day. Even if I sleep eight hours, I feel like my brain is tired. And sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough because I see people doing amazing things online, but I know it's not real life.