The 3am Scroll
At 16, Maya averages 4 hours 40 minutes of sleep on school nights. Her phone shows 6 hours 12 minutes of daily use, and she checks notifications 63 times a day. She wakes at 3am to scroll, then feels anxious and compares herself with influencers. She has stopped netball and sees friends mostly online. Her parents say, 'Just put the phone away,' but Maya says it is her only connection to friends. The school counsellor has a three-week waitlist. Maya has started getting headaches and has missed four days of school this term. Her teacher noticed she fell asleep in class twice this week. She says she wants to sleep better but feels 'addicted' and does not know where to start.
1. Analyse how personal, social and environmental factors interact to affect Maya's wellbeing. Use hauora in your answer.
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Personal: anxiety, headaches, missed school, stopped netball, and a sense of being 'addicted' interact with 4 h 40 min sleep. Social: friends are mostly online, comparison with influencers is constant, and parents' advice ('just put it away') feels dismissive. Environmental: notifications, algorithms and 24/7 access are designed to keep her scrolling; the counsellor waitlist is three weeks. Interaction: late-night scrolling shortens sleep, which worsens anxiety and concentration, which makes her more likely to withdraw from netball and rely on the phone for connection. This is a loop, not a character flaw. Hauora: taha hinengaro (anxiety), taha tinana (sleep, headaches), taha whānau (conflict at home), and taha social (netball loss). A strong analysis notes that willpower alone is a weak strategy when the environment is engineered for engagement.
2. Evaluate two strategies Maya could use: strict screen-time limits, and replacement plus support. Which is more likely to work, and why?
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Strategy A-limits alone (phone outside the bedroom, app timers): cheap, immediate, and gives Maya control. But it may fail because the phone is her main social connection and she is already anxious; sudden removal can increase isolation. Strategy B-replacement and support (rejoin netball, wind-down routine, counsellor, whānau-agreed charging spot): addresses the function of scrolling and builds protective factors, but the three-week waitlist delays counselling. Criteria: effectiveness, feasibility, safety and autonomy. Judgement: combine them-charge the phone across the room, set a 10:30 pm cutoff, use 'do not disturb', plan a social alternative, and book the counsellor now. Limits without replacement are likely to rebound; replacement without limits leaves the 3am habit intact. Trade-off: Maya may feel controlled, so she should co-design the plan. Health literacy means understanding why apps are sticky, not just blaming herself.
3. Recommend a safe two-week plan for Maya and explain how progress should be monitored. Include what should trigger escalation.
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Plan: with Maya, agree three small changes for two weeks-phone charging outside the bedroom, no notifications after 9 pm, and one netball training or social activity per week. Book the counsellor and tell a trusted adult. Track sleep hours, headaches, mood and school attendance in a simple log. Monitoring: review after two weeks; if sleep is still under 6 hours or mood worsens, escalate to the GP and ask the school for interim support. Safety: ask about bullying, self-harm or crisis; if present, follow the school's safeguarding process immediately. Reasoning: small, measurable steps are more likely to be maintained than a wholesale phone ban, and they generate evidence for the counsellor. Trade-off: the plan may be slower than parents want, but it protects Maya's autonomy and social connection. Success is not 'zero phone use'-it is more sleep, better mood, and Maya knowing where to get help.