You can’t buy happiness, they say. But we “buy” dopamine fixes all the time. Just whip out the smartphone and we easily go down that rabbit hole of endless doom scrolling, falling into the addictive trap of instant gratification, chasing likes, shares, comments and followers as rewards.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in our experience of pleasure, focus, reward and motivation. It propels us to put in effort, devote time and feel good about our achievements.

Before the internet, the primary way we got our dopamine fixes was through hobbies, such as exercising, reading, writing or other offline creative tasks – activities that needed sustained effort and delayed gratification. Sure, people in those “prehistoric” times probably reached for their favourite snacks for instant fixes, too. But the problem with doom scrolling is that it’s passive consumption. While minimal effort is required, it misses opportunities for deeper conversation and social engagement.

We can become addicted to activities that get dopamine flowing. While very few would call a triathlete who just can’t stop training an addict, there are quite a few obsessive pursuits that are typically shunned, especially if they’re clearly unhealthy.

For some, claw machines have become their dopamine fix. These devices have become all the rage, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. Claw machine pop-up shops are also short-term income fixes for landlords trying to fill empty retail space. They’re essentially slot machines recreated in pastels; instead of spitting out coins, they send out plushies or toys.

While there have already been plenty of reports of adults addicted to them, we are still seeing claw machines in children’s play spaces. Given what these type of short-fuse dopamine fixes do to our brains and our mental health, and the easy accessibility of the devices, our government has finally woken up to the need for regulation.