Module 4: Screens, Pressure, and Switching Off

If screens keep you awake longer than you want to be, this module helps you understand why.

Here we look at what phones, social media, and late-night scrolling actually do to your brain — especially at night. You’ll learn how stimulation, dopamine, and social pressure keep your mind in “response mode”, even when your body is exhausted.

This isn’t about blaming screens or telling you to switch everything off. It’s about understanding why it’s so hard to stop, why switching off can feel uncomfortable, and why your brain stays alert when connection and stimulation don’t have clear stopping points.

A calm, honest look at screens — without judgement, rules, or guilt — and an important step toward making sleep feel easier.

Written and narrated by Mark Taylor - North Bedfordshire CAMHS Service - East London NHS Foundation Trust.