It starts with a quick check on Instagram or TikTok, but before you know it, you are trapped in an endless loop of bad news, arguments and negativity. Doom-scrolling has quietly become part of our daily routine, especially for students who already feel overwhelmed by school, sports and social pressure. While staying informed matters, constantly consuming negative media is doing more harm than good to our mental health, and it is time we address it.
Doom-scrolling is excessive consumption of negative news; people scroll through bad news nonstop, even if it makes them feel worse. A 2024 study from the American Psychological Association showed that U.S. teenagers spend an average of 4.8 hours per day on social media.
Junior Violet Vandenberg said that she feels like social media sucks her in and makes her want to know more and more about what is going on.
Social media can feel like a trap; you know it is there, but you still get caught in it every time, leaving you feeling worse than before. And somehow, even knowing this, you still reach for it out of habit rather than intention.
Part of why this happens comes down to how our brains work. Humans are wired to pay more attention to negative or threatening information, and social media takes advantage of that by pushing alarming news, which leads to compulsive checking.
Oftentimes, tragedies are more highlighted in the media, overshadowing the good parts of life. This is understandable because it is hard not to worry about the bad things, but it draws people to a much more negative way of life.
Doom-scrolling reinforces negative emotions; the National Institutes of Health explains that reading constant negative headlines deepens anxiety, making it harder to break the cycle.
“I think particularly because algorithms are kind of designed to keep you on the app, and so if you are interacting with certain content, they will keep feeding it to you so that you continue to watch,” sophomore Fiona Wallace explained.
Curiosity about the current state of the world can lead one down a rabbit hole. Minutes turn into hours and suddenly you have wasted your day, left stressed and on edge.
Getting key information, like major local events or safety alerts, helps people make good decisions. The problem arises when the amount of information becomes overwhelming. When that happens, the brain shifts from processing to simply reacting, making it harder to sort what is useful from what is just noise.
Wallace mentions, “Potentially consuming information, more in the form of reading articles rather than watching news sources, can kind of help you understand what is going on without a surplus of information.”
While it is important to stay informed and well educated, social media may not be the best option to obtain your news. As Wallace put it, try reading articles rather than scrolling.
Doom-scrolling may feel like a normal part of daily life, but normal does not always mean healthy. Students have the power to set boundaries with their media use by limiting screen time, choosing when to check the news and making space for activities that improve their mental well-being. Staying informed is important, but so is protecting our peace of mind. By being more mindful of what we consume online, we can take back control of our attention and focus on what truly benefits us.
