Late-night scrolling through distressing news, known as doomscrolling, is a stress response, not a lack of discipline. Our brains, wired for survival, interpret constant negative information as a threat, leading to anxiety and sleep issues. Understanding this helps shift focus from self-blame to managing stress and practicing digital hygiene for peace It’s late at night. The house is quiet. You are tired but not sleepy. Your phone is already in your hand. You tell yourself you will just check one thing. One headline. One update.Thirty minutes pass. Then an hour.You feel worse than before. Your chest feels tight. Your mind is racing. You are angry, anxious, or numb. You put the phone down, but sleep still does not come easily.The next morning, you blame yourself.“I need better discipline.”“I should stop this habit.”“I am addicted.”
The impact of increased usage of social media
You are doomscrolling
Doomscrolling is the act of repeatedly consuming negative or distressing news online, even when it begins to affect your mood and mental state. It usually happens without planning. You open your phone to check one update, and then keep scrolling through bad news, angry posts, or frightening information long after it stops being useful.It usually includes:News about violence, war, disasters, and crimePolitical conflict and outrageSocial media arguments and abuseVideos that trigger fear, anger, or helplessnessEndless updates that never seem to endPeople often describe it as “mindless scrolling”. But it is not mindless at all. Your mind is actually very alert. Too alert. Doomscrolling happens when your brain believes there is danger and feels the need to stay informed to survive it. That is not laziness. That is not a lack of control. That is stress. 
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The survival instincts
When humans feel unsafe, the brain shifts into survival mode. This is not new. Long before phones existed, our brains were wired to scan the environment for threats, pay more attention to bad news than good, and remember danger more clearly than safety. This is how humans survived for thousands of years. When there was a threat nearby, knowing more meant staying alive.Today, the “threat” is no longer a wild animal or a nearby enemy. It is a constant stream of information telling us the world is unsafe. The brain cannot tell the difference between a real danger in front of you and repeated stories of danger on a screen. So it keeps scanning, keeps scrolling, and keeps looking for answers that never come.According to Medical News Today, a 2023 study found that people who already feel anxious about the future are more likely to engage in doomscrolling. A separate study published in 2024 suggested that the modern news media’s strong focus on negative events may fuel doomscrolling and deepen people’s existential worries.
Why it feels compulsive
Doomscrolling often happens at night. That is when distractions are gone, the mind finally slows down, unprocessed stress surfaces, and phones become an easy way to avoid sitting with difficult thoughts.The brain chooses: “Let me focus on this external crisis instead of my own anxiety.” But this keeps the nervous system active when it needs rest. That is why sleep feels harder after scrolling, not easier.People often say, “I don’t even enjoy it. I don’t know why I keep scrolling.” That confusion comes from misunderstanding what is happening. Doomscrolling is not about pleasure. It is about control.When things feel uncertain, the brain wants more information to reduce that uncertainty. It believes that if it knows more, it can prepare.But modern news and social media do not offer closure. They offer endless updates. There is no clear ending.No final answer. No moment where the brain feels safe enough to stop.So the scrolling continues.Not because you want to.Because your brain thinks it has to.
Why has this become worse recently
Doomscrolling existed before smartphones. People always worried about the news. But it became far more intense because of three things:24/7 news cycles: There is no pause anymore. No morning paper, no evening bulletin. Bad news updates arrive at all hours.Social media algorithms:Platforms push content that triggers strong emotions. Fear and anger keep people engaged longer.Global uncertainty: Pandemics, wars, economic stress, climate anxiety, political instability. Many people feel the future is unpredictable.The phenomenon of doomscrolling named one of the Oxford English Dictionary’s words of the year in 2020 became widely recognised during the pandemic, when disrupted daily routines drove people to constantly check updates on Covid 19 cases and deaths.When stress becomes constant, the brain stays in survival mode for longer. Doomscrolling is one result of that. 
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Why saying ‘just stop’ doesn’t work
If doomscrolling were just a habit, simple advice would work. “Put your phone away”, “Have self-control”, “Do a digital detox”. But most people have tried these things. They may work for a day. Or a week. Then the scrolling returns.That is because stress responses cannot be switched off with willpower alone. Telling someone under stress to “just stop” is like telling someone anxious to “just calm down”. It sounds logical. It feels dismissive. And it often increases shame. Shame makes stress worse. And stress fuels doomscrolling.According to Psychology Today, young adults often find it especially hard to put their phones down. This is partly because the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that helps with impulse control and decision-making, is still developing during this stage of life. As a result, breaking cycles like doomscrolling becomes more difficult.
The emotional cost
Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, a clinical psychologist and coordinator of NIMHANS’ SHUT Clinic, co-authored studies that observed that during Covid‑19, compulsive “doomsurfing” and “doomscrolling,” driven by cognitive biases and poor mood regulation, led to anxiety, sleep problems, low motivation, and distress, highlighting the need for digital hygiene and offline coping strategies.Doomscrolling slowly changes how you feel about the world and yourself. People report feeling constantly on edge, angry at strangers, emotionally exhausted, hopeless about the future, guilty for not “doing enough” or numb to real joy. This happens because the brain is not designed to process suffering at a global scale every day. Seeing pain without the ability to act creates helplessness. Helplessness is deeply stressful. Over time, the nervous system stays activated even when there is no immediate danger.Doomscrolling is also often a sign of care. This part is important. Many people who doomscroll care deeply. They care about injustice, they care about others. Their scrolling is not apathy. It is concern without an outlet. But caring without boundaries becomes emotional overload. And the brain responds by staying alert instead of resting.
Understanding changes everything
Mayo Clinic Press talks about checking your mood while scrolling, setting time limits, and using reminders to manage screen time.When you understand that doomscrolling is a stress response, your relationship with it changes. You stop asking:“What is wrong with me?” And start asking: “What am I reacting to?” This shift matters. Because you cannot heal what you keep blaming.The first step is not cutting down screen time. The first step is recognising stress. Ask yourself: What am I worried about right now? What feels uncertain in my life? What am I trying to prepare for? You may not have clear answers. That is okay. The goal is not solutions. It is awareness. When the brain feels seen, it does not need to shout as loudly. 
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Instead of forcing control, support regulation.
Doomscrolling is a signal, not failure
Your scrolling is telling you something. It is saying: “I am overwhelmed.” “I am trying to understand.”“I do not feel safe enough to rest.” Listen to that message instead of fighting it.The goal is not to become uninformed. It is to become regulated. You can care without drowning. You can stay aware without staying anxious.If you are doomscrolling, you are not broken. You are responding to a world that feels heavy. Your brain is doing what it was designed to do — protect you. But protection should not come at the cost of peace.Be gentle with yourself. Lower the noise where you can. Rest is not ignorance. It is survival too. And sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is put the phone down and choose to breathe.