Games and apps have become a natural part of childhood. Yet what looks like entertainment or education often uses principles that strikingly resemble the mechanisms of addiction. The aim is for a child to keep returning to the game, and a minute of fun can easily become a daily routine that is hard to break.
Digital drugs in pockets
Psychologists and developers warn that many apps and games are designed to trigger the same dopamine responses as hard drugs. A short reward after every tap, the feeling of winning when opening a “loot box”, or endless scrolling of new content. All of this creates a cycle of anticipation and instant gratification. For many children (and adults too), the mobile phone thus becomes the most powerful source of daily doping. Quiet and hard to put down.
Developer and father of three Filip Molčan has also examined the topic for a long time. In his newsletter Digital Drugs in Children’s Pockets, he describes how a mobile phone becomes “the cheapest source of dopamine in human history”. In his view, the problem is that children can operate the devices, but do not understand how they are designed to hold their attention.
Know your enemy
Digital product designers often use so-called dark patterns, that is, strategic elements meant to keep users in an app as long as possible or push them to make a purchase. Examples include game rewards based on chance, similar to scratch cards, or notifications that create a false sense of urgency. For children, whose brains are still learning to regulate impulses, such design is especially demanding.
How to deal with it
Experts agree that a ban on its own does not work. What matters more is teaching children to understand how the digital environment works and why it is so easy to give in to it. It helps to talk about technology openly, set shared rules and lead by example. In his text, Molčan sums up ten practical tips on how to talk with children about technology and set boundaries without bans or conflict. The first of them reads: “Be a role model, not a supervisor.”
A podcast instead of TikTok
Our tip is to try offering children, especially the younger ones, a podcast as an alternative. Listening to stories can draw them in much like a game, but without a screen. It develops imagination and helps children calm down. You can find inspiration in the project “What Do Children Have to Listen To?”, which was created at České podcasty and offers recommendations of shows for different age groups.
As psychologists and developers point out, even a small understanding of how games and apps work can significantly change how children use technology. Research confirms that it is not only about the amount of screen time, but above all about how we handle technology, and whether we understand its principles or remain passive users.
Why talk about it
According to a recent Columbia University study from 2025, the problem is not how much time children and teenagers spend online, but how they spend it. The greatest risk to their mental health comes from compulsive use of social networks and games. That is, a situation where it is no longer about fun, but about a compulsion to stay constantly connected.
At Creator’s Hub we have therefore long focused on responsible approaches to the digital world. Together with Filip Molčan, we are now looking for ways to bring his experience and findings into the wider public debate and to help parents and their children find a balance between online and offline life.
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