Why apps are addictive: the design tricks that keep you hooked

Why apps are addictive: the short version

To understand why apps are addictive, start with how they make money. Montag and colleagues explain that the classic Silicon Valley app model asks you to pay with your personal data rather than cash. So developers have a strong interest in keeping you in the app for as long as possible, because more time means more data and better targeted ads.¹

Aza Raskin, who designed infinite scroll in 2006, made the same point to the BBC in 2018. He said that to get the next round of funding or push a stock price up, "the amount of time that people spend on your app has to go up."²

This is often called the attention economy. A 2021 study of YouTube describes video apps in the attention economy using mechanisms like autoplay to maximise watch time.³

What is persuasive design?

Persuasive design is the use of psychology in a product's design to steer what you do, such as how often you open an app and how long you stay. It is a field of study in computer science, and Montag's team link many app features to classic psychological effects.¹

None of these features is sinister on its own. Together, they make stopping harder than starting.

6 addictive app design techniques

1. Infinite scroll

Infinite scroll lets you keep swiping through content without ever clicking to a next page. Montag and colleagues describe how you become more and more absorbed without reaching a natural stop where you might reconsider.¹

Raskin told the BBC the feature kept people looking at their phones far longer than necessary. He said he had not set out to addict people and felt guilty about it.²

2. Variable rewards

Most of what you scroll past is forgettable. Now and then you hit something funny or interesting. Montag's team say this follows intermittent conditioning, the same principle researchers study in slot machines.¹ Sandy Parakilas, a former Facebook employee, also compared social media to a slot machine in the BBC report.²

3. Notifications

Notifications pull you back in when you were doing something else. In a small study, 30 volunteers turned off notification alerts on all their devices for 24 hours. They felt less distracted and more productive, but some felt anxious about not replying as quickly as expected, and less connected to their social group.⁴

Social pressure adds to it. Montag's team point to read receipts on WhatsApp: once both people know a message has been read, both expect a fast reply.¹

4. Autoplay

When one video ends, the next begins. Montag's team note this happens on YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime, and that it makes it hard to stop watching.¹ In the YouTube study, a survey of 120 US users found autoplay and recommendations mainly undermined their sense of agency, while search and playlists supported it.³

5. Streaks

On Snapchat, a Streak counts how many days in a row you and a friend have sent each other Snaps. An hourglass emoji warns you when a Streak is about to expire, and if more than a day passes without a Snap from everyone, it ends.⁵

A long Streak can start to feel like something you own. Montag's team describe a related effect in games: the more time you invest in building something, the harder it is to walk away.¹

6. Likes and social validation

Likes are feedback you can count. In a brain imaging study of 34 adolescents aged 13 to 18, viewing photos with many likes, compared with few, was linked to greater activity in brain regions involved in reward processing and attention. The teenagers were also more likely to like photos that already had many likes.⁶

Leah Pearlman, co inventor of Facebook's Like button, told the BBC she had come to base her sense of self worth on the number of likes she got.²

Are apps really addictive, or is that hype?

It is worth being fair. Montag's team call their paper theoretical and say it is speculative to assume every feature was designed purely to extend use.¹ In the BBC report, Facebook said wanting something to be addictive plays no part in how it designs products, and Snap denied using visual tricks.²

"Smartphone addiction" is also not a recognised diagnosis.¹ Our guide to phone addiction signs explains why many researchers say problematic smartphone use instead. Either way, knowing how these features work makes them easier to spot.

A note from our founder

I'm Jacob Redshaw, and before SETL I was a copywriter. I spent my career writing copy designed to stop thumbs and hold attention, so I understand this psychology from the inside. I know how much thought goes into making you read one more line and tap one more time. I stepped away from that work and built SETL to help people step out of the loop too. You can read more about SETL and why I built it.

How to push back against addictive app design

You cannot redesign the apps, but you can change how they reach you.

• Turn off non essential notifications, and move social media apps into a folder off your home screen. Both were strategies in a 2022 trial that reduced problematic smartphone use and screen time.⁷
• Switch off autoplay in the apps that let you.
• Search instead of browsing the feed, which supported people's sense of control in the YouTube study.³
• Put the stopping point back yourself with scheduled blocks. For doomscrolling at night, see how to stop doomscrolling.

Where SETL fits

SETL is an app blocker for iPhone built bedtime first. It adds the stopping point these apps leave out: your chosen apps are blocked automatically at bedtime, and daytime Sessions end themselves when time is up. Opening early needs a deliberate press and hold, not a single tap.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Speak to your doctor about ongoing sleep, attention or mental health concerns.