The Scroll Trap: How Doomscrolling Is Quietly Affecting Gen Z’s Mental Health

You Open Your Phone. Time has passed and it is "Next Thing You Know, An Hour Has Passed". It begins with a good intention, reading one notification, viewing one video, reading one update. But 5 minutes doesn't last long, and 30 minutes is like you are never going to get anywhere.

You are not alone.

Immense number of young people today have this habit, particularly when a lot of negative news, issues of conflict, disasters and worrisome information are interwoven into the social media feeds. This practice can become addictive and is commonly referred to as ‘doomscrolling' , referring to the habit of scrolling through worse news, even if it leaves you feeling stressed, anxious and emotionally drained.

Social media has been ingrained in the daily lives of Generation Z. Communicate, learn, entertain and be creative on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X. But scientists have discovered that the time of time that we spend on social media has the potential to affect our psychological wellbeing. A high or problematic use of social media has been found to be linked to greater psychopathological distress, depression and anxiety symptoms among adolescents (Keles et al., 2020).

Are we in charge of how much we scroll or is our scrolling habit in charge of us?

Why does negative content often just not ‘go away'?

The human brain is "threat attuned". This saving mechanism was useful to humans in times gone by to alert them to potential dangers. The same system is activated with alarming headlines, shocking videos or disturbing discussions online today.

Negative information is information to which the brain is trying to respond with something it wants to know what it is doing. Continue scrolling if we think that more information will make us feel more safe or prepared.

This can create unhealthy cycle:

The cycle of doomscrolling behaviour. Negative information increases worry, which encourages repeated checking and further exposure to distressing content, creating a continuous loop that may affect emotional wellbeing.

This cycle can be strengthened with social media algorithms. What these systems are built for is to find out what they're interested in and suggest more like it. If an individual consistently observes distressing or unpleasant content, he or she might still see similar posts in the feed.

Research reports that the repeated exposure to negative information available on the Internet can result in emotional exhaustion and higher rates of stress (Soroka et al., 2015).

What science has to say about the dark side of Doomscrolling.

There is nothing wrong with social media. Indeed, it can be a source of valuable benefits. Online communities provide access to emotional support and personal experiences for many youths where they can find communities, but social media problems can arise when people experience excessive or hard to control use.

A systematic review concluded that depression, anxiety and psychological distress were linked to social media consumption among adolescents (Keles et al. 2020). The researchers speculated that social comparison, cyberbullying and excessive engagement could be some of the factors and consequences of this.

The first is that social media usually depicts a filtered reality. At least, they tend to flaunt their success, their happiness, their good times and hide their problems within their secret confessions.

It is important to remember that the "highlights" of people's daily lives can lead to feelings of:

Everyone is doing a better job than I am.
I got behind.
Why don't I manifest my life more like they do?

The mind can creep up with these thoughts over time, and this could affect confidence and emotional wellbeing.

The Hidden Cost: Losing Sleep Because of Scrolling

One of the major impacts of doom scrolling is on sleep.

A lot of people scroll as they fall asleep at night as they think that it calms them down. But, eating emotionally charged social media before sleeping may keep the brain active. The mind doesn't rest, rather it keeps gathering, storing, thinking, worrying or feeling information. Bad sleep then has an impact on mental health, affects concentration and causes irritability, stress and tension are more difficult to deal with.

This is another cycle:

A cycle of a person trapped in a cycle of scrolling, sleeplessness and increasing stress.

Several studies have revealed that young people's exposure to problematic social media use is associated with worse sleep quality (Ahmed et al., 2024). Resting the body isn't the only thing sleep is about. It is one of the most viewed in emotional regulation, memory and brain functions.

Is the Doom Scrolling going too far?

For instance, the scare of Doomscrolling occurs when it becomes a problem in one's life.

Some of these warning signs are:

Becoming more stressed and irritated when using social media.
Difficulty keeping track of the time while surfing.
Keeping awake because of a cell phone.
You feel exhausted after using the internet and surfing the web.

Don't automatically uninstall all social media apps because of these indicators. Rather, they point out that you'll need to make some tweaks to your digital routines.

How Generation Z can develop healthier digital habits.

The idea is to not necessarily ban technology. Social media can have a tremendous impact when it's done on purpose.

1. Set limits on the time you spend on your phone. Limit some of the time you use your phone.

Little things make a big difference!

Try:

When you're trying to sleep, avoid social media.
When you are in bed, don't use social media.
Avoid sleeping with your cell phone on your nightstand.
Establishing designated social media check in times

These easy boundaries will make sure that scrolling doesn't become your daily activity.

2. Take control of your feed

What you see in your digital world affects what you think in your mind. Read books that teach, motivate, and inspire you. Eliminate or mute material that frequently causes stress or a negative reaction. Your online social media feed should be a good thing for you, not a bad thing.

3. Use appropriate activities instead of scrolling.

It is easier to break a bad habit if you replace it with a positive habit.

To avoid being up on social media for a second hour, try:

Exercising
Reading
Meeting friends

In conclusion, your phone should be a tool, not your controller. Social media has altered the communication ways and worldviews for Gen Z. It makes the learning, connection and sharing of ideas possible in a way that never before. But all that scrolling down can take a toll without ever being noticed though on mental health, sleep and emotions. The answer doesn't have to be technology free. It is being mindful about the use of technology. The next time you feel you're compulsively tapping, you'll want to ask yourself:

Does this activity help me to learn something or am I feeling too stressed?

Building a healthier digital life doesn't mean going to extremes. It starts with little decisions that can help safeguard your mind, your time and your health.

Reference

Ahmed, O., Walsh, E. I., Dawel, A., Alateeq, K., Espinoza Oyarce, D. A., & Cherbuin, N. (2024). Social media use, mental health and sleep: A systematic review with meta-analyses. Journal of Affective Disorders, 367, 701–712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.193

Keles, B., McCrae, N., & Grealish, A. (2020). A systematic review: The influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 79–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851

Orben, A. (2020). The effects of social media use on adolescent psychological well-being. Nature Human Behaviour, 4, 230–231. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0839-4

Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Whaite, E. O., Lin, L. Y., Rosen, D., Colditz, J. B., Radovic, A., & Miller, E. (2017). Social media use and perceived social isolation among young adults in the U.S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.01.010

Soroka, S., Fournier, P., & Nir, L. (2015). Cross-national evidence of a negativity bias in psychophysiological reactions to news. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(9), 270–275. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1510706112

Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. PublicAffairs. https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/shoshana-zuboff/the-age-of-surveillance-capitalism/9781610395694/