How to Stop Doomscrolling: 10 Ways to Break the Habit for Good

It starts with a quick check of the news before bed. Twenty minutes later you are still scrolling: another alarming headline, another comment thread, another reason to feel that the world is falling apart. You know it is making you feel worse. And yet your thumb keeps moving.

This is doomscrolling: the compulsive consumption of negative news or content, often long after it has stopped being useful. If you are wondering how to stop doomscrolling, the good news is that it is a habit, and habits can be changed. This guide explains why it hooks us, what it does to us, and ten practical ways to break free.

What is doomscrolling?

Doomscrolling (sometimes called doomsurfing) is the habit of continuing to scroll through bad news, upsetting posts or worrying content, even when it makes you feel anxious, sad or angry. It isn’t limited to the news. It can be social media arguments, health worries, world events or anything that keeps you braced for the next bad thing.

The defining feature is that it doesn’t give you what you are looking for. You scroll to feel informed or safe, and end up feeling more worried.

Why is doomscrolling so hard to stop?

1. Our brains lean towards the negative

Psychologists have long observed a negativity bias: bad events and information tend to have a stronger effect on us than good ones of equal size. From an evolutionary point of view, that makes sense, because noticing threats mattered for survival. In an endless feed of information, however, it means alarming content grabs attention more easily.

2. Scrolling promises reassurance

When you feel uncertain or anxious, the mind looks for information as a way to feel in control. “If I just check one more time, I’ll know what’s happening.” But the information rarely resolves the worry, so the checking continues.

3. Feeds have no end

Traditional media had natural stopping points: the end of the newspaper, the end of the bulletin. Endless feeds and autoplay remove them. There is no cue to stop, so the decision rests entirely on you.

4. Unpredictable rewards

Sometimes a scroll brings something interesting or funny; often it doesn’t. That unpredictable pattern of reward is powerful. It is the same principle that keeps people pulling a slot machine lever, and it makes the behaviour harder to drop.

5. It has become automatic

Like any repeated behaviour, scrolling can turn into a habit triggered by a context: being in bed, waiting in a queue, feeling bored or stressed. Once it is automatic, it happens before you have decided to do it. (For more on how this works, see how to break a bad habit.)

What doomscrolling does to you

Effects vary between people, but common reports include:

• Higher anxiety and stress, especially when the content is alarming or out of your control
• Low mood and a sense of hopelessness or helplessness
• Poorer sleep, when scrolling happens late at night and keeps the mind active
• Lost time, and frustration at not doing what you meant to
• A distorted view of the world, as feeds show the most dramatic events
• Reduced focus, because constant switching trains the mind to seek novelty

Research suggests that reducing time on social media can help. In one experiment, undergraduates who limited their use of several social platforms to about 30 minutes a day for three weeks reported lower loneliness and depression than those who carried on as usual. It was a small study of one group, so it doesn’t prove the same effect for everyone, but it points in a useful direction.

The doomscrolling loop

Like other habits, doomscrolling follows a loop:

Stage	Example
Cue	Lying in bed, phone within reach; waiting; feeling anxious
Craving	Wanting reassurance, distraction or a sense of control
Response	Open the news app or social feed and scroll
Reward	Brief relief or stimulation, then a fresh wave of worry

To change the habit, you change the loop.

How to stop doomscrolling: 10 ways

1. Notice when and why you do it

For a few days, note when doomscrolling happens: time, place, what you felt just before. Common triggers are bed, boredom, waiting, stress and procrastination. Knowing the pattern shows you where to intervene. Ask: What was I hoping to feel?

2. Say what you are actually looking for

Often the need is reassurance, connection, distraction or a sense of control. Once you name it, you can meet it another way: a call with a friend, a walk, a proper break. If naming feelings is hard, our guide on how to name what you feel helps.

3. Add friction

Behaviour follows the path of least resistance. Make scrolling a little harder:

• Log out of apps after each use
• Move news and social apps off your home screen, or into a folder
• Delete the worst offenders and use the browser instead
• Use screen-time limits or app timers
• Turn your phone to grayscale, which makes it less enticing

4. Keep the phone out of reach in bed

The bedroom is a prime doomscrolling location. Charge the phone across the room or in another room, and buy a cheap alarm clock. Reading a paper book instead is a much calmer way to end the day. This one change removes the cue for many people.

5. Turn off unnecessary notifications

Every alert is an invitation. Switch off news alerts and social media notifications. Keep only the ones you genuinely need, such as calls from family.

6. Set news windows

You do not have to avoid the news entirely. Decide when and how much:

• Check once or twice a day, for ten to fifteen minutes
• Choose a source or two, rather than endless feeds
• Avoid news first thing in the morning and last thing at night
• Use a summary, newsletter or bulletin that has a natural end

Being informed does not require being constantly connected. Serious events will reach you.

7. Use if-then plans

A simple plan makes the response automatic. A large meta-analysis of studies found that if-then planning helps people act on their goals. Try:

• If I get into bed, then I will plug my phone in across the room and read two pages.
• If I feel the urge to check the news between meetings, then I will stand up and stretch for one minute.
• If I notice I’ve been scrolling for ten minutes, then I will put the phone down and drink some water.

8. Replace it with something that meets the same need

Just removing the habit leaves a gap. What can you do instead?

If you scroll for…	Try…
Distraction	A puzzle, podcast, game or short walk
Reassurance	Talking to someone, writing your worries down
Company	Messaging a friend or a phone call
Calm	Slow breathing, stretching, a warm drink
Something to do with your hands	Knitting, drawing, tidying

If anxiety is the driver, how to calm anxiety fast has techniques that work in minutes.

9. Ride out the urge

Urges to check rise and fall. When it hits, wait ten to fifteen minutes before acting on it. Notice the sensation, take a few slow breaths, and do something else. Often the urge shrinks. Each time you wait, you weaken the link between the cue and the scroll.

10. Curate what you see

Your feed can be shaped:

• Unfollow, mute or block accounts that mainly provoke outrage or anxiety
• Follow sources that add value: hobbies, learning, creativity, humour
• Take a break from platforms that consistently leave you drained

You are allowed to protect your attention.

A worked example

Suppose you doomscroll in bed for an hour most nights.

• Cue: Bed, phone next to the pillow, a worried mind.
• Need: Wind down and feel informed.
• Friction: The phone charges in the kitchen. Notifications are off.
• Replacement: A paper book, and a notebook for tomorrow’s worries.
• News window: Ten minutes of headlines at 6 p.m.
• If-then: If I reach for my phone in bed, then I will breathe slowly for one minute and pick up my book.
• Slip plan: If I scroll, I return to the plan the next night, without self-criticism.

How to tell if it is working

Progress rarely looks dramatic. Signs to look for: you fall asleep sooner, you notice the urge and let it pass more often, you finish evenings feeling less wired, and you reach for the phone with a purpose rather than by reflex. Track one simple thing, such as minutes of screen time or nights with the phone out of the bedroom, and celebrate small improvements.

If you slip

You will, at some point. That is part of the process. Try not to see it as failure or a reason to give up. Ask what triggered it, adjust the plan, and start again. If you are hard on yourself, quieting the inner critic can help, because shame tends to drive more scrolling.

When doomscrolling is a sign of something more

Consider talking to a doctor or mental health professional if:

• news or social media is driving persistent anxiety, fear or low mood,
• you cannot cut back despite serious effort and it is harming your work, sleep or relationships,
• you feel a strong compulsion to check that causes distress,
• scrolling is one of several ways you avoid feelings you find overwhelming,
• you feel hopeless or have thoughts of harming yourself.

Support is available, and you don’t have to manage it alone. If you are in crisis, contact your local emergency number or a crisis line. Our disclaimer lists options.

Frequently asked questions

Is doomscrolling a mental illness?

No, it is a behaviour pattern, not a diagnosis. But it can be linked to, and worsen, anxiety and low mood.

Why do I doomscroll before bed?

Bed often combines a free mind, no distractions and a phone within reach, which is an ideal trigger. Stress from the day tends to surface then, too.

How long does it take to stop doomscrolling?

It varies. Many people notice a change within a couple of weeks of consistent changes, but habits take longer to become automatic. Expect weeks to months, with the hardest stretch at the start.

Should I stop reading the news altogether?

Not necessarily. The aim is to be informed without being flooded. Set limits on when and how much, and choose trustworthy sources.

Does deleting apps work?

Often, yes, at least for the first few weeks. Friction reduces automatic use. You can always reinstall an app later, on your own terms.

The bottom line

Doomscrolling is not a personal failing. It is a very human reaction to uncertainty, met by technology that is designed to keep us scrolling. You can change it by understanding your triggers, adding friction, setting news windows and giving yourself something better to reach for. Start tonight: put your phone on the other side of the room, pick up something else, and notice how you feel tomorrow.