Is Social Media the New Smoking?
- Cynthia Dano
- Jun 8
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 2
How our scrolling habits are quietly shaping our health, happiness—and regrets.
By Cynthia Dano
Hello and welcome (or welcome back!) I am a two-time cancer survivor, Wellness and Radical Remission coach, and cancer mentor, and No Regrets Guide. Cancer kicked my butt but didn't win. It gave me a Time Appreication Makeeover and a quest of a life of No Regrets. In that capacity, I help others create a life of purpose, aligned with their values, vision and aspiration now, not 'someday'. In these blogs, I will pass on some tips or info that have been useful for me or my clients, so you can also live with No Regrets.
There was a time when you could smoke on airplanes. In hospitals. In your living room while your kids played nearby.
We didn’t realize what it was doing to us—until we did.
Now, we don’t even think about it. Smoking indoors? Unthinkable. But we haven’t noticed the modern equivalent slipping into our lives:
We don’t light up anymore. We log on.
The New Cigarette Break
Instead of going outside to smoke, we reach for our phones. We check out of conversations, meetings, and emotions with a scroll. We flick, swipe, and like—not because we’re present, but because we’re hooked.
Sound dramatic? Let’s look closer.
The Social Media–Smoking Parallels Are Too Strong to Ignore:
Designed to Be Addictive
Social media doesn’t accidentally pull us in. It’s engineered to do so.
Tech platforms hire attention engineers—yes, like the ones used in gambling—to make sure we can’t stop. Features like infinite scroll, autoplay, likes, and notifications are not innocent. They’re reinforcement loops designed to spike your dopamine and keep you chasing the next tiny hit of validation, distraction, or novelty. This quiet addiction is stealing our time, rewiring our brains, and leaving us more disconnected than ever
The Mental Health Fallout
Here’s what the research is showing:
More time on social media = more anxiety and depression.
Especially among teens and young adults.
Comparison fatigue is real.
We see curated lives and assume ours don’t measure up.
Doomscrolling increases stress and helplessness.
The more we consume negative news and sensationalism, the more our nervous system stays on high alert.
Attention fragmentation decreases our ability to be present.
We lose track of our own thoughts, creativity, and emotional regulation.
“But I Don’t Smoke Scroll That Much…”
Neither did most social smokers. But the harm comes from repetition, not intensity. It’s the hundreds of tiny reach-for-the-phone moments each day that cost us presence, peace, and time we’ll never get back.
And, like smoking, social media use often starts as a choice… but becomes a compulsion.
The No Regrets Perspective: This Is About Awareness—Not Shame
At The No Regrets Project, I don’t tell people what to do. I invite them to wake up.
Social media isn’t evil. But unexamined, it’s a time thief—and a joy thief.
The real regret isn’t that you posted too little or missed a meme. It’s that you weren’t present for your own life.
A No Regrets Challenge (Scroll Detox Edition):
Try this for 7 days:
Create a No-Scroll Zone (the dinner table, bedroom, bathroom, or car).
Replace one scroll with a soul break (walk, journal, stretch, breathe, laugh).
Track your triggers. Ask yourself each time you reach: What am I feeling right now?
Because in the end…
No one looks back and says,"I wish I’d spent more time online."
But they do say,"I wish I’d been more present. I wish I hadn’t missed it. I wish I’d lived."
Choose presence. Choose peace. Choose your life. You don’t have to quit—But you do get to choose.
Here's to No Regrets!
xo Cynthia
I am a two-time ovarian cancer survivor, mom, wife, entrepreneur, and proud GG to seven grandkids. I love road trips and National Parks. I mentor women with cancer and am a No Regrets guide for midlife women in a life transition or a life standstill to reclaim themselves and their time and move down the road with no regrets..
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