Transcript of B1 English Listening Practice || The Dark Side of Smartphones and How to Take Control

Welcome to my channel, Super English Podcast. Today's video is about a very important topic, social media addiction. In this video, we will talk about the science behind social media addiction. How social media is destroying your life, time, energy, and mental health. Why does this happen? What are the reasons behind this addiction? Most importantly, we will discuss solutions to escape this addiction and take control of your life. So, if you want to improve your English and improve your life, stay with me till the end. On this channel, you don't just learn English. My purpose is to make you the best version of yourself. Every day we bring amazing knowledge, real life lessons, and powerful information that help you grow. So subscribe now and see the changes in your life. Do you know how many times we touch our phones every day? According to research, an average person touches their phone 2,617 times a day. That's right. Almost every few seconds, our hand reaches for our phone. And here's something even more shocking. On average, people spend 7 hours a day on their phones. Now, let's look at different countries. USA, people spend 7 to 8 hours a day on their phones. India 7 hours and 30 minutes daily on social media and online contact. Bangladesh almost 6.5 hours per day. Canada over 6 to 7 hours daily. South Korea a shocking 8 hours daily. Now think about this. If you are wasting seven hours every day on your phone, what happens to your life? People are spending these hours scrolling on Instagram, Tik Tok, watching videos on YouTube, or binge watching Netflix. But have you ever thought about what this is doing to you? Your studies are suffering. You have no time to focus. Your job and career are at risk. Your productivity is going down. Your hobbies are disappearing. You don't even remember what you love doing. Your passion is lost. You don't have time to work on your dreams. Your business is struggling. You are distracted all the time. Your mind is getting weaker. Your attention span is decreasing. Now let me ask you, can you live without your phone for 1 hour? For many people, the answer is no. If you take their phone away, they get frustrated, anxious, and even furious. This is not normal. This is addiction. People take their phones even to the washroom. They wake up and check their phones before even brushing their teeth. They forget about their lifestyle, their vacations, their passion, and even their family time. Now, here's the most shocking truth. Scientists compare social media addiction to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and gambling. And this is not just my opinion. Science says it. Just like a drug addict craves their next dose, social media users crave their next notification, just like gambling keeps people trapped, social media keeps people scrolling endlessly. Just like alcohol damages the brain, social media changes the brain's reward system. It's a cycle. You open your phone. You scroll. You feel good for a moment. You keep scrolling. Minutes turn into hours. By the time you realize it, half your day is gone. This is the reality of social media addiction. It is stealing your time, stealing your energy, and stealing your life. This is not just happening to you. Millions of people around the world are struggling with social media addiction. Even celebrities, billionaires, and successful people have faced this issue. For example, Tom Holland, the famous actor from Spider-Man, once admitted in an interview that he was completely obsessed with social media. He said that every time he posted something, he kept checking his phone again and again to see how many likes and comments he got. And guess what? It made him anxious. It made him insecure. He finally deleted social media from his phone because he realized it was affecting his mental health. But why does this happen? Why do we become addicted to social media? When you open Instagram, what do you see? Someone traveling to Paris, someone showing off their new car, someone posting a perfect relationship picture, someone celebrating a big achievement. And what do you do? You start comparing your life to theirs. Why am I not traveling? Why don't I have a new car? Why is my relationship not perfect? Why am I not successful yet? This comparison makes you feel bad about your own life. But here's the truth. Social media is fake. People only show their best moments, not their struggles. They use filters to make everything look better. Even celebrities edit their pictures to look more attractive. But your brain doesn't understand this. Your brain believes what it sees. That's why you feel like your life is not good enough. And when you feel bad, what do you do? You scroll more. You keep looking for more content, more entertainment, more distraction. And this is where the real problem begins. Dopamine addiction. Let me ask you, can you watch a 30 minute educational video without feeling bored? Most people can't. But they can easily watch 30 short videos, each one minute long. Why? Because of dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical in your brain that makes you feel good. It is released when you eat your favorite food. achieve something or get a like or comment on your post. Social media hacks this system. It gives you small rewards again and again instantly. One notification, dopamine boost. One new like, dopamine boost. One new comment, dopamine boost. Every time you scroll, your brain gets a small hit of dopamine. And just like a drug addict needs more drugs to feel good, you need more scrolling, more videos, more likes. According to research, social media is designed to be as addictive as gambling. When you pull the screen down to refresh, your brain reacts like a gambler pulling the lever of a slot machine. You don't know what's coming next. And that excitement keeps you hooked. This is why you can't stop scrolling. Think about this. Why are we not addicted to studying? Why are we not addicted to exercise? Why are we not addicted to meditation? Because these things give slow rewards. If you study today, you don't get instant success. If you exercise today, you don't see six-pack abs immediately. If you meditate today, you don't feel the benefits right away. But social media, instant pleasure, instant fun, instant dopamine. And this is the reason good habits are hard and bad habits are easy. Social media tricks your brain into choosing temporary pleasure over long-term success. By now, you understand that social media addiction is real. It's not just your fault. Many genius people, engineers, psychologists, and data scientists work every day to make sure you stay addicted. Think about it. When you watch one video, the algorithm immediately recommends another similar video. When you like a post, the app shows you more posts just like that. When you scroll on Tik Tok or Instagram reels, the next video loads automatically, so you don't even have to click. These apps are designed to control your attention. It's their profit, but your loss. Your time is gone. Your energy is wasted. Your focus is destroyed. Your real life is slipping away. Now the big question is how do you escape? How do you break free? Don't worry, I will tell you exactly how. Step one, understand that social media is a trap. The first step to breaking free is realizing that social media is designed to keep you stuck. They don't want you to use their app for 10 minutes. They want you to stay for hours. The longer you stay, the more money they make from ads. And what do you lose? Your dreams, your future, your life. So before you pick up your phone, ask yourself one question. Am I using social media or is social media using me? If the answer is that social media is controlling you, then it's time to change. Step two, turn off notifications. Think about this. How many times does your phone beep in a day? New message, new comment, someone liked your post. Every notification pulls your attention away. According to research, once your focus is broken, it takes 23 minutes to fully concentrate again. So, if you want to take back control of your life, do this right now. Go to your phone settings and turn off notifications for Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Tik Tok. You don't need to know every like, every comment, every new video immediately. This one step alone can save you hours every day. Step three, use the 5-second rule. Most people don't even realize when they pick up their phones, their hands move automatically. So, here's a simple trick, the 5second rule. Whenever you feel like checking social media, count backward in your mind. 5 4 3 2 1 and then ask yourself, do I really need to open this app or is it just a habit? Most of the time you will realize you don't actually need to use it. Step four, set time limits for social media. The average person spends 7 hours a day on their phone. That's 210 hours a month. That's 87 full days a year. Imagine you could learn a new skill, start a business, or travel the world in that time. So, set a clear time limit for social media. Decide how many minutes you will use social media each day. 30 minutes. Set a timer. Once the time is up, close the app. Use an app blocker to automatically stop you from using social media after the limit is reached. Step five, replace social media with real life. Most people use social media because they are bored. So, what's the solution? Fill your life with real activities. Here are some ideas. Go outside. Take a walk. Go to a park or travel. Read books. Books give you knowledge unlike endless scrolling. Learn something new, a new language, cooking, music, anything. Talk to real people. Call a friend. Spend time with family. Exercise. Move your body and feel better instantly. The more real life activities you have, the less you will feel the need for social media. Step six, make your phone less addictive. Do you know why you always check your phone? Because it looks exciting. So, let's make it boring. Set your screen to black and white. Colorful apps attract your attention. Move social media apps to a hidden folder so you don't see them immediately. Log out after every use so it's harder to open again. These small changes reduce temptation and help you control your usage. Step seven, go on a 7day social media detox. If you really want to see how much better life is without social media, do this. Delete all social media apps for 7 days. For one week, focus on real life. Spend time with family. Work on your goals, sleep better, read, exercise, enjoy the world. After seven days, you will feel happier, calmer, and more focused. and you will realize you never needed social media as much as you thought. Take back your life. Remember, your time is your most valuable asset. Social media companies want to steal your time. But now you know the truth. Let me ask you something. If today was your last day on Earth, would you be happy with how you spent your time? Would you be proud that you spent hours scrolling through Instagram, watching Tik Tok, checking likes and comments, or would you wish you had done something more meaningful? This is your life. And the scary part, time doesn't wait for anyone. Every second you waste on social media is a second you will never get back. A short story, Alex and Ryan. Let me tell you a short story about two best friends, Alex and Ryan. Alex was always on his phone. Ryan decided to quit social media and focus on his goals. Fast forward 5 years later, Alex was in the same place. No progress, no success, just more wasted time. Ryan had built a great career, traveled to different countries, and lived an amazing life. Why? Because Ryan understood one thing. Time is precious. And Alex, he wasted his time thinking he had plenty of it. But time is like sand slipping through your fingers. If you don't use it wisely, one day you will wake up and realize it's gone. How much time are you really wasting? Take out your phone right now. Go to settings, screen time, and check how many hours you use social media every day. Let's say it's 5 hours. Now do the math. 5 hours a day equals 35 hours a week. 35 hours a week equals 140 hours a month. 140 hours a month equals 1,680 hours a year. That's 70 full days of your life wasted every year. What if I told you that in 70 days, you could learn a new skill, start a business, become fluent in English, get in the best shape of your life, change your entire future, but instead many people choose to waste it on social media. The hard truth. Do you ever feel like you're not making progress in life? You want to achieve your dreams, but you feel stuck? You want to become successful, but you don't know how. You want to change, but nothing happens. The truth is, your phone is stealing your future. Every hour on social media, one less hour to change your life. If you don't change your habits today, then 5 years from now, you will still be in the same place wondering why your life never improved. Imagine a different life. Close your eyes for a moment. Imagine waking up without reaching for your phone first. Imagine having clear goals, motivation, and focus. Imagine spending time learning, growing, and building a future. Imagine living a life where you don't feel controlled by notifications, likes, and comments. This life is possible, but only if you take action. You have two choices. At the end of the day, you have two choices. One, keep wasting your time on social media. Keep scrolling. Keep feeling unmotivated. Keep living the same life. Two, take control of your life. Delete unnecessary apps. Start using your time wisely. Work on your goals, your dreams, and your future. The choice is 100% yours. One day you will look back at your life and ask yourself, "Did I live my life or did I just scroll through it?" Did I chase my dreams or did I waste my time watching others live theirs? Did I make the most of my time or did I let social media steal it from me? The time to change is now, not tomorrow. Not next week, not one day, right now. What will you do today? Will you continue wasting your time or will you start building the life you truly want? Comment below. What action will you take today to break free from social media addiction? Let's take control of our lives before it's too late. They don't want you to use their app for 10 minutes. One day, you will look back at your life and ask yourself. If you exercise today, you don't see six-pack abs immediately. Move social media apps through a hidden folder.