Your Opportunity Cost

Online scrolling calculator

What is endless scrolling costing you?

Just a few minutes on Reels, Shorts, or TikTok can accumulate over a lifetime.

Your scrolling

Not sure? Your phone already tracks it: Screen Time on iPhone or Digital Wellbeing on Android.

min/day
years

We assume the habit continues at this level until age 79, the U.S. life expectancy. Use the "What if?" options to see what cutting back gets you.

Over the rest of your life, scrolling will cost you

0hours
0
total hours
0
full 24-hour days
0%
of your life*
0%
of every waking day*

*Based on U.S. life expectancy of 79 years and about 16 waking hours a day.

HoursDays
Per week00
Per year00
Next 10 years00
Rest of your life00

That time could instead be…

    What if you cut back?

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    Why it's so hard to stop

    Short-form feeds are designed to keep you watching. Trying to stop means resisting the thousands of engineers who have made your watch time their priority. Changing your environment and how you view your content can help.

    Practical ways to scroll less

    Check your real number

    Enter last week's average from Screen Time or Digital Wellbeing. Most people guess low.

    Set app limits

    A daily cap that asks "are you sure?" breaks autopilot scrolling.

    Add friction

    Move apps off your home screen or log out after each use. Every extra step cuts mindless opens.

    Keep the phone out of bed

    Charge it outside the bedroom. Late-night sessions tend to be the longest.

    Replace, don't just remove

    Keep a book or podcast handy. An empty gap gets filled by the old habit.

    Silence the pull

    Turn off non-essential notifications, or try grayscale mode.

    How this calculator works

    Your results are estimates based on a few assumptions:

    • Your daily scrolling stays at the level you enter, every day, from your current age to 79 (the U.S. life expectancy).
    • "Days" are full 24-hour days, and "% of your life" compares your scrolling to a full 79-year lifespan.
    • "Waking day" assumes about 16 hours awake per day. Scrolling competes with your free time, not your sleep, which is why that share is larger.
    This isn't about zero. Some scrolling is genuinely fun and keeps you connected. The goal is to see the trade clearly, so the time you give it is a choice instead of a default.
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    Sources

    • Life expectancy (79 years, 2024): CDC National Center for Health Statistics, via Associated Press.
    • Language learning (~600–750 class hours for languages closest to English): U.S. Foreign Service Institute estimates.