TOKYO - A new Japanese slang term describing children and young people addicted to the instant stimulation of social media has been nominated for Japan's 2026 Buzzword of the Year, drawing attention to growing concerns that endless short videos are undermining concentration, disrupting sleep, and creating addictive behavior among adults as well as children.
The term "dopagaki," shortened from the Japanese expression meaning "dopamine-addicted brat," refers to young people who become hooked on the rapid stimulation provided by short videos and other social media content, leaving them increasingly unable to maintain concentration for extended periods.
Although the expression initially gained popularity as internet slang describing children and teenagers, researchers warn that the psychological mechanisms behind compulsive smartphone use affect people of all ages.
Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter involved in motivation, concentration, and feelings of achievement. Research by Yasue Mitsukura, a professor at Keio University, has examined how the brain responds when people repeatedly scroll through short videos on smartphones.
According to Mitsukura's research, measurements of brain activity suggest that dopamine levels, which gradually decline while watching content, rise again each time a user scrolls to another video.
Crucially, the increase is not necessarily caused by enjoyment of the video itself. Instead, dopamine is released in anticipation of what interesting or entertaining content might appear next.
This expectation encourages users to continue scrolling, creating a cycle of stimulation that can gradually develop into compulsive behavior without the individual realizing it.
When dependence becomes severe, it can interfere with everyday life and learning, contributing to sleep disorders, disturbances in autonomic nervous system function, and difficulty concentrating.
Digital addiction has become an increasingly serious international concern, prompting governments to consider restrictions on children's social media use.
Australia became the first country to introduce a nationwide legal ban on social media use by children under 16 in 2025, requiring platforms to take measures to prevent underage users from creating accounts. Companies that fail to comply could face fines equivalent to approximately 11.8 billion yen.
The European Union also announced a proposed children's protection law in September 2026 that included restrictions on social media use by children under 15.
Measures under consideration include limiting recommendation algorithms that continuously deliver videos tailored to individual preferences, restricting viewing time to one hour per day, and introducing stricter age verification requirements.
Such recommendation systems have attracted particular scrutiny because they continually present content designed to keep users engaged, potentially reinforcing patterns of excessive consumption.
However, Australia's experience has illustrated the difficulties of enforcing age restrictions.
Some children under 16 have reportedly circumvented the rules by using other people's identification documents, while others have drawn mustaches on their faces to fool facial recognition systems intended to verify users' ages.
These attempts to evade restrictions demonstrate how difficult it can be to make social media regulations effective, even when governments impose substantial penalties on platform operators.
Japan is also considering how to protect children from excessive internet use.
The Children and Families Agency has presented its first draft guidelines outlining how parents and guardians should be involved in children's use of the internet.
The government is also expected to reach a conclusion on possible age restrictions for social media by the end of 2026.
While much of the international debate has focused on protecting children, experts emphasize that smartphone dependence is not confined to younger generations. A growing number of adults are also showing signs of potentially addictive behavior.
Mitsukura has developed a simple four-question checklist designed to help people assess their level of smartphone dependence.
The first warning sign is thinking about a smartphone even when not using it, or automatically reaching for it whenever there is nothing else to do.
The second is feeling restless or irritated when the smartphone is not nearby.
The third is attempting to reduce smartphone use but repeatedly failing to do so.
The fourth is losing sleep or becoming unable to complete necessary tasks because of time spent using the device.
According to Mitsukura, people who recognize three or more of these four behaviors may have a high level of smartphone dependence.
As for preventing addiction, Mitsukura recommends taking regular breaks rather than allowing stimulation to continue uninterrupted.
"When dopamine levels remain continuously elevated, it can lead to addiction, so it is important to take breaks and reset," Mitsukura explained.
Even when total smartphone use amounts to one hour, dividing that time into shorter sessions, such as 15-minute intervals separated by breaks, may reduce the risk of developing dependence compared with watching continuously for an entire hour.
The difficulty, however, lies in putting that advice into practice. For people who find themselves unable to stop scrolling despite intending to take a break, the popular expression "dopagaki" may describe more than just the behavior of children.
Source: TBS
