ScrollForge: Digital Wellbeing as a Structural Property of Social Media Platform Design

ScrollForge extends the GAM3ARCH cognitive zone framework to social media platforms, introducing three theoretical innovations: algorithmic bridge manipulation (the mechanism by which engagement-optimising recommendation systems systematically weaken recovery pathways), Nexus toxicity (the modulation of social connection by social comparison), and Involuntary Participation (the structural coercion that prevents users from disengaging). An agent-based simulation (600 agents, 1000 time steps, 5 conditions) demonstrates that engagement-optimising algorithms double burnout relative to baseline, and that Nexus toxicity amplifies this effect by 14–19 percentage points. A secondary analysis of published empirical data (Twenge et al., Orben & Przybylski, Kelly et al.) confirms consistency between model predictions and observed effect sizes. Design interventions (Back-mode, Horizon-filter, Nexus-quality controls) are formalised as bridge manipulations and predict a 42% burnout reduction without reducing time on platform. The ScrollForge Audit Checklist provides a weighted instrument for platform evaluation. Regulatory applicability is demonstrated for the EU Digital Services Act, AI Act, and GDPR Article 22.