Source: Marginal REVOLUTION
The structural design of short-form platforms—infinite scroll, auto-play, algorithmic novelty—resets self-control depletion with each micro-content unit, making traditional willpower-based resistance ineffective. TikTok and YouTube Shorts users report losing hours despite intending five-minute sessions because the format is built to trigger this cycle. Regulatory focus on screen-time limits misses the mechanism: the problem is the psychological reset function embedded in the format, not duration alone. For platforms, this architecture is the business model. For consumers and policymakers, it means individual discipline is an inadequate framework.