It’s nighttime. You said you were going to sleep an hour ago, but you’re still swiping through your screen. News about climate crises, conflicts, inflation, pandemics, and political chaos flash before your eyes. You feel anxious, exhausted… but you can’t stop. Welcome to doomscrolling, the silent addiction to bad news.
Today, many of us endlessly navigate a sea of alarming headlines that fuel our stress more than our understanding.
What is doomscrolling?
The term comes from the combination of scrolling (spending hours absorbed in browsing posts) and doom (catastrophe). A person who doomscrolls falls into an endless loop of checking shocking, exaggerated, or alarmist news. Some of the most frequent topics include politics, climate change, global health, and international conflicts.
Some examples of these types of headlines might be:
“Climate change accelerates: 2024 was the hottest year in history”
“Rising insecurity: the most dangerous cities in the country in 2025”
“Thousands laid off in tech sector: digital jobs in crisis”
“Artificial intelligence out of control, experts warn”
Why can’t we stop?
There are several factors that feed doomscrolling:
Addictive design: platforms are built to keep us hooked. Constant updates and intermittent rewards (sometimes there’s something truly relevant) reinforce the habit. Smartphones are addictive because they provide unlimited content.
Negativity bias: negative news tends to go more viral and be more memorable. Humans have a tendency to focus on the negative.
Anxiety and search for certainty: Rafael Tabarés, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Valencia, said in an interview with La Vanguardia that people believe knowledge can help them control their fears and uncertainty, and that’s why we crave immediate access to information.
The psychological impact of doomscrolling
Overexposure to catastrophic information has a major impact on our mental health. To begin with, our brain has an alarm system designed to prepare us for potential danger, but when we’re constantly on alert, this system becomes overstimulated. This leads to anxiety, constant worry, an increase in intrusive thoughts, and difficulty relaxing. Moreover, if doomscrolling happens before going to bed, it activates our sympathetic nervous system and makes it harder to fall asleep.
On the other hand, it can cause emotional disconnection, making it difficult for us to empathize with all the suffering we’re exposed to. Knowing that we can’t do anything to improve or prevent the situations we read about fuels our anxiety and creates uncertainty, making us feel like the world is an uncontrollable and hostile place.
This entire set of symptoms reduces our overall life satisfaction or sense of well-being.
If you find yourself in this situation, don’t hesitate to seek help. Cognitive-behavioral psychology can provide strategies and resources to reduce consumption and manage symptoms.
How can we avoid it?
As with other issues related to addictive content consumption, the key is to set boundaries.
Set schedules or a time limit for checking the news.
Choose reliable sources and avoid overexposure to social media for staying informed.
Practice “conscious scrolling” by taking pauses and asking yourself: Is this helpful or is it draining me? Don’t compulsively seek out news when fear or anxiety strikes—especially if the topic doesn’t directly affect you.
Seek out the positive too: there are outlets that highlight good news, scientific advances, and solutions. Remember that social media runs on algorithms—if you consume different types of content, you’ll gradually see fewer negative stories.
Information is power, and to some extent, having access to what’s happening in the world helps us better understand our surroundings. However, we must be aware of the impact this overexposure can have on us and set boundaries to maintain a healthy and balanced intake of information.
