Have you ever picked up your phone to check one thing, only to look up thirty minutes or an hour later and realise you have been scrolling through bad news, arguments, disasters, and disturbing stories? You are not alone.

This habit is often called doomscrolling, the repeated consumption of negative or distressing content online, even when it leaves you feeling worse. The more you scroll, the more negative content the platforms may continue showing you, creating a cycle that can be difficult to break.

Some of the signs are easy to miss. You may tell yourself, “Just one more post,” but keep scrolling for much longer than planned. You might constantly check social media for updates, feel uncomfortable putting your phone down, or spend your first and last moments of the day consuming troubling news.

Other signs include feeling tense, worried, frustrated, or mentally exhausted after scrolling. If you regularly notice that your online experience is affecting your mood, concentration, sleep or everyday activities, it may be time to examine your scrolling habits.

Doomscrolling can affect more than just the time you spend online. Constant exposure to frightening, angry or negative information can increase feelings of stress and anxiety and make the world seem more dangerous than it actually is. It can also leave you mentally drained and distracted from school, work, relationships and activities you enjoy. Remember, social media feeds are not a complete picture of reality.

Algorithms, the sets of instructions that help apps decide what content to show you based on your activity and interests, often prioritise content that attracts attention, and shocking or emotional stories can keep people watching.

If you think you are already caught in the cycle, start small. Do not try to quit your phone completely. Instead, set specific times to check social media and use a timer if necessary. When you notice yourself repeatedly scrolling through negative content, put the phone down and do something offline for a few minutes.

You can also unfollow or mute accounts that constantly fill your feed with distressing content and replace them with educational, positive or genuinely useful sources. Most importantly, ask yourself before scrolling: “Am I looking for information, or am I just consuming more because I cannot stop?”

You can also prevent doomscrolling before it becomes a habit. Turn off unnecessary notifications, avoid keeping social media apps open all the time and create phone-free periods, especially before sleeping. Instead of immediately reaching for your phone when you are bored, try reading, talking to someone, listening to music, exercising, taking a walk or pursuing a hobby. If you need to follow a major news event, choose a reliable source and check it at specific times rather than constantly refreshing your feed.

Being informed is important, but being informed does not mean being online every minute. Good Media and Information Literacy means knowing not only what information to consume, but also when to step away from it. Your attention is valuable, so be intentional about where you give it. The goal is not to ignore what is happening in the world. It is to stay informed without allowing an endless stream of negative content to take over your day.

Written by Samuel Adjetey Adjei
Journalist, Media and Information Literacy advocate
sam.nadjetey@gmail.com