Instagram Reels, which launched in 2020, has U.S. college students scrolling for hours, watching videos that an algorithm has prepared for them. Reels give students access to free and endless content.

Nearly 30% of U.S. adults report excessive social media use, according to a study by the Addiction Group. Researchers often compare social media addiction to other behavioral addictions, including gambling. When overused, platforms like Instagram can contribute to higher rates of anxiety and depression.

Although Meta denied that Instagram is “clinically addictive,” the company has admitted that overuse can lead to “problematic” behavior.

“For me, I have a shorter attention span. I can’t sit down and watch a whole show, but I can watch several 30-second clips on different topics,” Arnob Nur, a freshman at Baruch College, said.

Sixty-one percent of U.S. teens are active on Instagram, according to the Pew Research Center.

Baruch junior Nino Andre Dionio was first introduced to reels by a friend who promised that it wasn’t an addiction, compared to TikTok. At the time, TikTok was already the target of multiple content addiction lawsuits.

This soon became a way of creating personal relationships with people, as Dionio would send friends about two reels a day and receive around 10 in return.

“There is something intimate about sending someone a reel because you are thinking about that person,” Dionio said.

Instagram came out with a statement about a new algorithm that personalizes content to consumers. But as it became more personalized, it has become increasingly harder for college students to put down their phone.

“Once reels became personalized, it had the same effect as TikTok,” he said.

Nur expressed the same sentiment.

“Recently, when I got sick, I was on Reels from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.,” Nur said. “I was scrolling while brushing my teeth, in bed and even while taking my medications.”

Researchers Vikram Bhargava and Manuel Velasquez analyzed three main factors that enable social media addiction: social validation, variable reward and eroding stopping points.

In search of more fulfillment, Dionio has since deleted the app.

“I needed it gone,” he said. “It was the first thing that I would see in the morning and I would get stressed, going instantly there.”

For Dionio, quitting Reels was a gradual journey, and he keeps Instagram on his laptop to connect with friends.

“If you just suddenly drop it, there’s going to be a response in your relationships,” he said.