You open your phone to check the time or a quick message. The next thing you know, an hour has passed and you\u2019ve scrolled through endless celebrity drama, cat videos, awful news stories, influencer rants, and whatever else the algorithm decided to throw at you.<\/p>\n
Even though you probably don\u2019t want to keep wasting your time and energy on this mind-numbing content, you do it again the next day.<\/p>\n
Doomscrolling, the habit of spending excessive amounts of time consuming content on social media, has become incredibly widespread. A survey from last year found that 64% of Americans say they doomscroll.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Researchers have warned that doomscrolling can negatively affect several aspects of your well-being, including your mental health and attention span. Spending long periods scrolling can lead to brain fatigue, difficulty focusing, and disrupted sleep. And if a lot of the content you\u2019re consuming is negative or stressful, it can leave you feeling disheartened, anxious, and emotionally drained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to break the cycle of doomscrolling, but there are plenty of apps that provide content that\u2019s engaging and productive.<\/p>\n
Of course, you could always read a book or go for a walk (we have a guide on how to stop doomscrolling),<\/p>\n