Eight o’clock on a Sunday morning. As the sun pierced through my curtains, I rolled over, reaching for my phone on the bedside table. I unlocked the screen and was greeted by the familiar grid of colourful app icons. YouTube attracted me with its red play button, promising entertainment and relaxation.

What started as wanting to watch just one video spiraled into a day lost in the digital rabbit hole. As I sat in my comfortable bed, I tapped on videos recommended by the YouTube algorithm. It seemed guiltless enough—a compilation of FIFA gameplay clips—but before I knew it, I was slipping down this bottomless pit of suggested content.

Hours went by unnoticed as I foolishly turned from one video to the next, my attention captured by everything from gaming replays to sports highlights. Each video promised something new and exciting, trapping me deeper and deeper.

Before long, my tummy growled, as I hadn't eaten at all. Instead of going downstairs and getting toast, I reached for the bag of Doritos on my nightstand, my eyes still glued to the screen. I barely remembered the taste as I ate the chips, my focus devoured by the digital world before me. 

As the afternoon sun descended, casting long shadows across my room, I finally rose out of my YouTube addiction. With a pang of guilt, I realized that I had wasted an entire day lost in the depths of the deep web. The tasks I had planned to finish stayed forgotten and buried beneath a mountain of videos and vlogs.

With a sigh, I closed the app and set my phone aside, trying to reclaim control of my time and productivity while doing homework. But even as I got out of bed and stretched my stiff limbs, I couldn't shake my lingering regret for the day that had slipped through my fingers as I scrolled through the trending page. Four o’clock on a Sunday afternoon. The clock ticks.