Doomscrolling
Compulsively scrolling through a bottomless feed of distressing or negative news and social media, unable to stop despite feeling worse. The endless, unpredictable feed exploits the brain’s dopamine-driven reward and novelty-seeking loop, and is associated with heightened anxiety, low mood, and disrupted sleep and attention.
Research (3)
- Earthquake fear, doomscrolling, anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty: A longitudinal serial mediation study Özmen (2026) PubMed ↗
- Demystifying the New Dilemma of Brain Rot in the Digital Era: A Review Yousef et al. (2025) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
- Doomscrolling during COVID-19: The negative association between daily social and traditional media consumption and mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic Price et al. (2022) PubMed ↗
Recovery resources
Help for doomscrolling use and recovery. Not an endorsement or medical advice — see all recovery resources.
Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous (ITAA)
A 12-step fellowship for people recovering from compulsive internet, technology, and screen use.
Community
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