Your phone pings with a new notification, so you grab it, intending to check it and move on quickly. Forty-five minutes later, you’ve watched a handful of reels on the latest viral trend, browsed through influencer go-tos, read a thread about a school shooting in another state, and somehow ended up on a post about how we’re headed towards an economic crash.
The rabbit hole you’ve found yourself in is doomscrolling. It’s the endless consumption of negative and distressing content online, even when it makes you feel worse. While it may seem like harmless scrolling, for adolescents who are already navigating an emotional rollercoaster, it can be a huge driver of anxiety each day.
Why Teens Are Vulnerable
Adolescents are particularly vulnerable because the brain hasn’t fully developed yet. It is literally wired for heightened emotional responses. The areas that regulate stress and fear in adults continue developing into your mid-twenties. So, when you absorb unsettling content, it registers differently in a teen than in someone older.
There’s also a larger issue of the constant connection to a device. The majority of daily life revolves around device use. Social conversations, entertainment, news consumption, and even schoolwork happen online. It becomes nearly impossible to set clear boundaries healthily.
Social media algorithms are also designed to deliver content with an emotional charge, so you will get sucked in and continue to scroll. Tapping into feelings of outrage, fear, sadness, and even some positive emotions is engagement gold for social media platforms.
What It Actually Does to Anxiety
Doomscrolling doesn’t just leave you feeling down. It starts to rewire your nervous system’s responses to your environment. When you are exposed to a constant stream of threats, direct or indirect, your brain perceives them as danger and responds accordingly.
Some signs that doomscrolling is fueling your anxiety include:
- Feeling on edge or irritable after phone use
- Trouble falling asleep because your mind is stuck on things you saw online
- A sense of helplessness or doom about the future that you can’t shake
- Avoiding activities that used to bring joy
- Catastrophizing about situations in your own life more than you used to
Your nervous system is doing its job when faced with a perceived threat. The problem is, it can’t tell the difference between real danger and what you’re seeing in a viral news story thousands of miles away.
Breaking the Cycle
One of the best things you can do to protect your mental health is to set limits around media consumption. Having this boundary doesn’t mean you have to unplug completely. You want to be intentional about what content you’re consuming, what source you’re getting your information from, how much time you spend scrolling, and the time of day you do it.
Here are a few helpful pointers for intentional use. Choose a specific time during the day to check the news rather than scrolling all day long. Turn off notifications that typically draw you in and make you spiral. Keep the dinner table and your bed phone-free zones. Small changes like this can help your nervous system rest and reset.
It’s also helpful if you pay attention to your online habits, noting when being informed turns into spiraling. It can be a thin, blurred line. If you notice chest tightness, racing thoughts, or feelings of helplessness, it’s time to put the phone down for a bit.
When to Get Support
If anxiety is affecting your quality of life, it might be time to talk to someone. Doomscrolling is both a symptom and cause of anxiety, and untangling that cycle is easier with the right support.
Anxiety counseling can help you understand what’s driving your urge to scroll and build the right tools to manage fear and overwhelm underneath it. Reach out to us to get started.