You pick up your phone to check one thing. Forty minutes later you are deep in a feed of bad news, your shoulders are up around your ears, and you feel worse than when you started.
That is doomscrolling, and it is not a character flaw. It is a habit loop, and the apps on your phone were built to keep it spinning. It is also worth breaking, for your sleep, your mood and your mental health.
The good news is that habit loops can be broken. You do not need more willpower. You need to change the cue, the action, or the reward. These nine tactics do exactly that, and the last two cover the part most guides skip.
Want the shortcut? Jump to tactics 8 and 9, or meet the Detox Device, a phone that does nothing on purpose.
Almost everyone is in the loop
Pew Research Center found that 41% of U.S. adults say they are online almost constantly, and another 43% go online several times a day. When nearly everyone is in the loop, it is no surprise that willpower alone rarely works.
84% of adults are online several times a day or more
Source: Pew Research Center, Jan 8, 2026, (survey Feb 5 to Jun 18, 2025).
Why doomscrolling is so hard to quit
Every habit has three parts. A cue (boredom, anxiety, a free hand). A routine (grab the phone, open the feed). A reward (something new, something distracting).
Infinite scroll makes the reward unpredictable, and unpredictable rewards are the stickiest kind. Think slot machine, except it lives in your pocket and it is free.
The cue fires dozens of times a day. That is why changing your environment works better than changing your intentions.
People are already trying to opt out
The Reuters Institute’s 2025 Digital News Report found that 40% of people sometimes or often avoid the news. That ties the joint highest figure on record and is up from 29% in 2017. The reasons people give include feeling worn out and overwhelmed by negativity.
Share of people who sometimes or often avoid the news
Doomscrolling and mental health: what the research links it to
Researchers have looked at this closely. A 2024 meta-analysis in the Journal of Medical Internet Research pooled 55 papers and 41,716 participants. It found that more electronic media use was associated with poorer sleep quality, and the link was a little stronger for problematic use.
Sleep is the stake. The CDC says adults should get at least 7 hours a night. In 2024 CDC survey data, 69.5% of adults got sufficient sleep, which leaves roughly 3 in 10 who did not.
Mental health is the bigger picture here. Doomscrolling tends to travel with feeling worn out, anxious, and short on sleep, and each of those can feed the next scroll. Breaking the loop is one practical way to look after your mental health. It is not a replacement for support if you need it.
A fair warning: these are associations. They show the habits travel together, not that scrolling alone causes poor sleep or anxiety, and the mood study used students. If scrolling is affecting your sleep, mood, or mental health in a way that worries you, talk to a doctor or a mental health professional.
r = 0.28 to 0.33
Electronic media use and poorer sleep quality (55 papers, 41,716 participants). The higher figure is for problematic use.
Higher anxiety
Compulsive negative news consumption was associated with higher existential anxiety.
9 ways to stop doomscrolling
| # | Tactic | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Name the trigger | Noticing “I’m bored” or “I’m anxious” breaks the autopilot |
| 2 | Move the phone out of reach | Friction beats willpower every time |
| 3 | Delete or log out of the worst app | Logging in each time adds a pause to think |
| 4 | Set a hard app limit | Built-in screen time tools add a speed bump |
| 5 | Grayscale your screen | Removes the visual reward of color |
| 6 | Schedule your news | One 15 minute check beats 40 random ones |
| 7 | Create a phone-free bedtime | Heavier electronic media use is associated with poorer sleep quality (see the research above) |
| 8 | Replace the action | Give your hands a new default behaviour |
| 9 | Carry a decoy | Satisfy the physical urge without the feed |
Tactics 8 and 9: the part most guides skip
A lot of phone checking is physical. Your hand reaches for the pocket. Your thumb wants to move. App timers and grayscale do nothing for that urge.
That is why some people carry a stand-in. A decoy phone has the shape and feel of the real thing, but no screen, no feed, and nothing to scroll. When the urge hits, you get the motion without the spiral. The Detox Device was built for this: a phone that does nothing on purpose, so you can leave your real one in a drawer.
It works best in the moments that matter most: dinner, meetings, walks, and the couch next to your partner.
Curious what this looks like day to day? We put together a full week-long plan for breaking the habit with a dummy phone.
A simple 7 day plan
- Day 1: Track your screen time and note your top 3 triggers.
- Day 2: Move phone charging out of the bedroom.
- Day 3: Turn on grayscale and set a limit on your worst app.
- Day 4: Pick two fixed times for news.
- Day 5: Leave your real phone at home for one outing and carry a decoy.
- Day 6: Replace one scroll session with a walk or a book.
- Day 7: Review your screen time and keep what worked.
FAQ
Why do so many people avoid the news?
The Reuters Institute reports 40% of people sometimes or often avoid it, citing overwhelm and negativity. Doomscrolling is the opposite behaviour with the same root: a feed that is hard to put down.
Is doomscrolling bad for your mental health?
Research links it to worse mood and sleep, though not as proof of cause. A 2024 study of 800 university students across two countries tied compulsive negative news consumption to higher existential anxiety, and a 2024 meta-analysis of 41,716 participants tied heavier electronic media use to poorer sleep quality. If scrolling is affecting your sleep, mood, or mental health in a way that worries you, talk to a doctor or a mental health professional.
How do I stop doomscrolling when it is hurting my mental health?
Start with the cues, not willpower. Move your phone out of reach, schedule your news, set a bedtime limit, and carry a decoy so your hands have something else to do. If it feels bigger than a habit, or your mood is suffering, reach out to a doctor or a mental health professional.
How does phone use affect sleep?
The 2024 Journal of Medical Internet Research meta-analysis found a small to moderate association between electronic media use and poorer sleep quality, stronger for problematic use. The CDC recommends adults get at least 7 hours a night.
How long does it take to break the habit?
Most people notice a change within a week or two of removing cues. Lasting change takes longer, so build systems, not just resolutions.
Do I need to delete social media?
No. Reducing access and adding friction works for most people.
Does a fake phone really help?
It will not fix the underlying cause, but it removes the physical trigger and gives your hands a default. Pair it with the tactics above.
Break the reach-for-your-phone reflex. Get your decoy!