How to Stop Doomscrolling: 12 Kid-Friendly Strategies to Break the Cycle

Have you noticed that your teen is spending hours glued to their phone, scrolling through bad news or upsetting posts? Do they constantly refresh their social media platforms looking for more stories, even when those stories make them feel anxious and upset? They may be doomscrolling, a behavior that has increased dramatically in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Doomscrolling can take a serious toll on mental health. Research shows that it can increase anxiety, lower mood, and create a sense of helplessness about the world. In this guide, we’ll explore what doomscrolling is, why it happens, and practical ways to help your child stop.

What is doomscrolling?

If you’ve ever scrolled through the news or social media, even when it puts you in a bad mood, then you might be familiar with doomscrolling. Doomscrolling is a relatively new term, and was the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year in 2020.

That dictionary defines doomscrolling as “the action of constantly scrolling through (moving down through text on a screen) and reading depressing news on a news site or on social media, especially on a phone.” 

Adults typically doomscroll through political or news sites. But teens are also affected, especially through social media platforms. They might scroll endlessly through pessimistic or negative social media posts, even though it makes them feel bad. 

Doomscrolling isn’t exactly the same as social media addiction, although they’re linked. Teens who are addicted to social media can use it for many different reasons, including for validation and connection. The psychology behind doomscrolling, particularly the tendency to look at upsetting news, is often more complex.

12 proven strategies to help your child stop doomscrolling

If your child is having a hard time breaking the cycle of doomscrolling, these strategies can help.

1. Set specific “news time” boundaries 

Research shows that restricting access to social media can make a difference. Instead of trying to take away social media altogether, set time limits. It can be helpful to set specific limits on how often you look at news stories. It’s easy to lose track of time when doomscrolling, so noticing how many minutes (or hours!) you spend on it can help you snap back to reality.

2. Encourage emotional awareness

Help your teen with emotional awareness. Ask them to pay attention to how they feel before, during, and after scrolling. If they notice that doomscrolling makes them feel worse — more anxious or depressed — then they may be more likely to be able to stop.

3. Practice mindfulness techniques

No child is too young to learn basic mindfulness principles. It’s just about slowing down and noticing the things around us (instead of getting lost in doomscrolling). Help your child learn mindfulness techniques appropriate to their age and developmental level. This can help them to ground themselves in the present moment and interrupt the cycle of automatic scrolling. Examples include breath meditation or practicing mindfulness while eating a snack.

4. Help them take action

Scrolling through negative news stories can make your child feel discouraged and hopeless. If there’s a particular cause they care about, help them take meaningful action rather than simply reading the stories. For example, they could volunteer, sign a petition, or raise awareness through positive posts.

5. Set a good example

As parents and caregivers, one of the best things you can do to support your child is to set a good example. Adults fall victim to doomscrolling, too, and when your teen sees you doing it, they’re more likely to do it themselves. Set family agreements around social media use, and talk openly about your own efforts to limit screen time and stay emotionally balanced.

6. Exercise and movement breaks

Doomscrolling isn’t only bad for mental health; it also causes people to be sedentary for longer periods of time, which can have lasting effects on physical health. Don’t let your child sit on their phone for hours scrolling through social media. Break the time up with movement breaks. Encourage them to stretch, dance, or walk around the block. Even small bursts of movement can reset their brain and improve their mood.

7. Nature walks 

Spending time in nature has been found to decrease stress levels (while doomscrolling can increase stress). Encourage your child to spend time outdoors. Go with them on a nature stroll or spend weekends outside when the weather allows.

8. Train their algorithm

Part of what makes doomscrolling so addicting is that by gravitating toward negative news, you train your algorithm to show you more of the same content. Talk to your child about how the algorithm works.

Help them curate their feeds and spend more time on posts that make them feel good. Teach them to intentionally seek out positive news rather than sensationalist stories.

9. Use app timers and screen-time controls

There are many digital tools you can use to help your child limit their social media use. We’ve compiled some of our favorite apps below. You can also use a simple digital timer to help them measure how much time they’re actually spending on doomscrolling.

10. Help them go slow

Doomscrolling can become a never-ending cycle because it’s so easy to scroll through posts so quickly that you don’t even give them time to sink in. Even if you don’t restrict their social media use altogether, help them to use it more slowly and consciously. For example, encourage them to sit with each post for at least 30 seconds before scrolling to the next one. This can help them build mindfulness and emotional literacy skills.

11. Find a replacement activity

Doomscrolling can be considered an addictive behavior. When breaking any addictive behavior, it can help to replace it with another activity. Help your child think about how they’d rather be spending their time. Is it talking with their friends? Is it learning a new skill or watching their favorite TV series? Help them replace their doomscrolling habit with another activity of their choice.

12. Encourage them to seek support

Keep healthy communication open with your child. Start by checking in with your child in everyday moments, like during dinner or a car ride home from school. Ask open questions about what they’ve seen online and how it made them feel. Keep the focus on listening instead of giving advice right away.

You can also remind them that it’s okay to talk to another trusted adult or therapist. Therapy gives teens a private space to talk about their worries and learn practical tools for managing stress and screen habits. 

Why do we doomscroll?

The psychology behind doomscrolling is complex, and researchers are still studying it. At face value, it’s natural to wonder, why would anyone continue looking at something that makes them feel worse, not better?

The answer is complicated. Doomscrolling tends to become a vicious cycle. People who doomscroll get locked into a cycle of seeking out more and more information, no matter how negative the information is. The more you see negative news stories, the more you feel like you need to seek out information to keep yourself safe.

Social media platforms show you more of what seems to be captivating your attention, the things you’re spending more time viewing. So the more you look at negative news, the more your feed will show you that kind of content, hence the cycle.

It’s also about how our brains evolved. Our brains are wired with a “negativity bias,” which means we naturally pay more attention to threats and bad news than to positive information. This comes from the limbic system (the part of the brain responsible for survival instincts), which constantly scans for danger. Doomscrolling activates this system, making people feel like they’re staying alert and prepared, even though it actually increases stress.

Research has found that certain individual factors can also make some people more susceptible to doomscrolling. These risk factors include:

• Neuroticism: This refers to a personality trait linked with emotional instability and frequent negative emotions. People with higher neurotic traits are more likely to seek out negative information and emotions.
• Lack of impulse control: If you struggle to control your own impulses and behaviors, then you may be more likely to continue scrolling, even when it makes you feel bad. Teen brains haven’t fully developed, and they tend to have lower levels of impulse control.
• Being assigned female at birth: Some experts say that women are more likely to fall prey to doomscrolling because so many negative news stories are about hurting women.
• Victims of trauma: Surviving trauma can also make you more vulnerable to doomscrolling because of the way these violent events can change your brain chemistry. This can make you unconsciously drawn to stories that mirror your fears or past experiences.

Certain mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions can also play a role. For example, doomscrolling is often a type of compulsive behavior, which could be linked with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) for some teens. For some teens with OCD, it might look like repeatedly checking the news for reassurance that nothing bad is happening — only to feel more anxious afterward.

Young people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may also be more likely to engage in doomscrolling. Kids with ADHD often experience differences in how their brains process rewards and stimulation. These differences can make the endless novelty of scrolling especially appealing, while also making it harder to notice when it’s time to stop.

The harmful effects of doomscrolling on young minds

Doomscrolling can be harmful to anyone’s mental health, but it can be particularly damaging for children and teens. Young people’s brains are still developing. They’re vulnerable to the effects of stress and at higher risk of developing mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. 

Children and teens also haven’t fully developed the part of their brain that’s responsible for impulse control, which makes them even more susceptible to falling into the cycle of doomscrolling.

Some of the harmful effects of doomscrolling on your child’s brain development and mental health include the following.

• Higher levels of stress and anxiety
• Less engagement with learning
• Development of a pessimistic worldview
• Poor focus and attention span
• Difficulty sleeping or disrupted sleep patterns
• Increased irritability and mood swings
• Lower motivation and pleasure in daily activities

Tools and apps to support your teen

There are many digital tools and apps available that can help your teen reduce the time they spend doomscrolling on social media platforms. Here’s a chart to compare some of our favorites.

Get mental health support for teens with Emora Health

If your child’s doomscrolling is affecting their mood, sleep, or relationships, it might be time to seek professional help. A licensed therapist can help them understand why they’re drawn to negative content and teach them healthier coping tools for managing anxiety.

At Emora Health, our therapists specialize in working with teens and families. We offer flexible online sessions that fit your family’s schedule and help your child build practical skills for self-regulation, confidence, and emotional balance. 90% of our clients pay $30 or less per session.

If you’re ready to take the next step, connect with a therapist or psychiatrist through Emora Health today. Your teen can learn new ways to stay grounded — even when the world feels scary and upsetting.