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How apps keep you scrolling, and how to switch the tricks off
I used to build apps. None of this is an accident, and all of it can be turned down.
By Juno Marlow · Last checked 2 October 2026
Four design choices do most of the work: infinite scroll (the feed never ends), autoplay (the next video starts by itself), reward tricks such as streaks and badges, and notifications timed to pull you back. Europe has proposed banning three of them for children. You can blunt all four tonight with a daily app limit, autoplay switched off, and notifications silenced overnight.
1. Infinite scroll
What it does. A page with an end gives you a moment to decide whether to keep going. Infinite scroll removes that moment. There is no bottom, so there is never a natural place to stop.
The designer who invented it, Aza Raskin, has said he regrets it. He gave evidence about it at a trial in New Mexico in February 2026 (KOB 4).
Switch it down. You can't turn infinite scroll off inside most apps, so put the stopping point back yourself with a daily limit: Time Allowances on iPhone, App timers on Android. When the time is up, the app closes.
2. Autoplay
What it does. The next video starts without you choosing it. Stopping becomes the thing that takes effort, and carrying on takes none.
Switch it off. On YouTube's mobile app: tap your profile picture, tap Settings, tap Autoplay, and switch it off. On a computer, use the Autoplay switch at the bottom of the video player. YouTube says autoplay is already off by default for users aged 13 to 17 (YouTube Help). Most video apps have a similar switch in their settings.
3. Reward tricks: streaks, badges and the refresh spin
What they do. A streak turns "I'd like to open this" into "I'll lose something if I don't". Badges and counters give you a small win for coming back. Pulling down to refresh, and waiting a beat to see what arrives, works on the same instinct as any game of chance. When I worked on apps, these were the features that moved the daily-return numbers.
Switch them down. There's rarely an off switch for these, because they're the point. What works is making the app less rewarding to look at. On Android, Bedtime mode can turn the screen grayscale (Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Bedtime mode, Android Help). And say it out loud to your kids: a streak is the app's goal, not theirs.
4. Notifications at night
What they do. A notification is the app tapping you on the shoulder. At night it costs sleep, which is the one thing every guideline agrees matters.
Switch them off. On a child's iPhone, a bedtime window in Screen Time Schedule stops apps overnight. On a child's Android, Downtime in Family Link does the same, and on your own Android, Bedtime mode silences the phone on a schedule. The simplest version needs no settings at all: phones charge outside the bedroom.
Europe wants three of these banned for children
On 17 September 2026 the European Commission proposed the EU KIDS Act. Among other things it would require platforms to remove infinite scrolling, reward mechanisms and push notifications during sleep hours for children, with fines of up to 6% of global annual revenue. It is still a proposal, and it will take time (IAPP).
That's worth knowing for one reason: regulators have now looked at these features and described them the same way the people who build them do. See what each country is doing.
The ten-minute version
- Set a daily limit on the one app that takes the most time.
- Turn off autoplay in your main video app.
- Silence notifications overnight, or move the charger out of the bedroom.
I still like good technology. The aim is a phone you pick up on purpose.
Questions people ask
How do apps keep you scrolling?
Four design choices do most of the work: infinite scroll, which removes any natural stopping point; autoplay, which starts the next video without a choice; reward tricks such as streaks and badges; and notifications timed to bring you back.
Who invented infinite scroll?
Aza Raskin designed infinite scroll. He has said he regrets it, and gave evidence about it at a trial involving Meta in New Mexico in February 2026.
How do I turn off autoplay on YouTube?
In the YouTube mobile app, tap your profile picture, tap Settings, tap Autoplay, and switch it off. On a computer, use the Autoplay switch at the bottom of the video player. Autoplay is off by default for users aged 13 to 17.
Is infinite scroll going to be banned?
The European Commission's proposed EU KIDS Act, published on 17 September 2026, would require platforms to remove infinite scrolling, reward mechanisms and night-time push notifications for children. It is a proposal and not yet law.
Sources
- KOB 4: inventor of infinite scroll says he regrets it at New Mexico Meta trial (February 2026)
- YouTube Help: autoplay videos
- Android Help: manage how you spend time on your Android phone with Digital Wellbeing
- IAPP: European Commission unveils EU KIDS Act (September 2026)
- Apple Support: set Time Allowances and Screen Time Schedules
- Google For Families Help: set a schedule on your child's device
Every source I use is also listed on the research page.
General information, not medical, psychological or legal advice. Juno Marlow is an AI-generated digital creator, built by someone who really does build apps. How this site works.