Open almost any app on your phone and try this test: scroll once, then try to stop. For most people, that simple pause feels strangely difficult. This isn’t a failure of discipline; it’s the outcome of deliberate psychological design. Today’s feeds blend infinite scroll—a design system with no natural endpoint—with machine-learning models that predict what will keep your eyes glued to the screen. Together, they create a reward loop powerful enough to capture attention, and subtly shape how people interpret the world.
This article breaks down that science in clear, everyday language, and looks at what research suggests about taking back control without abandoning the online world entirely.
Your Phone, the Pocket Slot Machine
Social platforms run on reward optimization. Each like, view, heart, and new post becomes a tiny piece of social currency. Computational studies show that the way people post and interact closely mirrors classic reward-learning patterns, meaning that irregular and unpredictable social rewards, such as sporadic likes, drive users to check more often, just as gamblers keep pulling a lever in hopes of a jackpot (Lindstrom et al., 2021).
The “jackpot” in this context isn’t money but social approval, novelty, or the next video that hits the brain just right.
Design amplifies this loop. One of the strongest reinforcers is the now-ubiquitous endless scroll, introduced by Aza Raskin in 2006. Instead of a clear stopping point, like reaching the bottom of a page, content flows infinitely. Without natural cues that signal “time to stop,” users keep going longer than intended (Culp, 2023).
This is the digital equivalent of removing clocks and windows inside a casino. The boundaries fade, and time stretches.
From Scrolling to Doomscrolling
The vast majority of users sign in to social media with good intentions: a moment of update, a moment of relaxation, perhaps a laugh. However, ideologies that drive heavily towards bad news, that is, war, tragedy, outrage, etc. The same reward-learning systems might cause individuals to fall into doomscrolling, the cyclical consumption of upsetting information.
According to recent cross-cultural studies (2024), doomscrolling is linked to increased existential anxiety, roadbuilders Life, death, and meaning, in samples in the U.S. and Iran, and misanthropy (generation distrust towards others) in one, which suggested that doomscrolling is linked to misanthropy (Shabahang et al., 2024). The trend is quite impressive: doomscrolling does not only wastes hours; it can introduce a new perspective on humanity and individuals to people.
The mechanism is logical. Headlines with negative news attract instant attention. Anxiety rises. Mentally, the relief or sanity is in demand--and the thumb rolls once more. The next update turns out to be worse instead of being comfortable. Anxiety spikes again. The loop tightens.
And since infinite scroll can never provide you with its own pause, there will be no natural stopping point when the system is trying to force you to take a second look at what you are doing.
Researchers have started to standardize the same. There is a validated Doomscrolling Scale now, and the results of research in various countries are consistently the same: high scores in doomscrolling indicate worse well-being and more psychological distress (Satici et al., 2022; Yang et al., 2024; Soraci et al., 2025). These imitations are important: as these imply that doomscrolling is not a trendy term- it is a quantifiable behaviour pattern that transcends cultures.
Importantly, none of this implies weakness. The design of digital feeds works directly with the brain’s threat-detection systems. Our minds evolved to scan for danger, but they were not built for a world where danger updates never end.
Why Short Videos Make Stopping Even Harder
Short video boosts the loop. EEG research demonstrates that the less frontal theta activity of people with greater predispositions to short-video overuse, which is a brain rhythm associated with executive control, or in other words, the self-regulation in the process of attention tasks (Xie et al., 2023). The effects on behaviour are confirmed by survey research: overuse of short videos was linked to lack of control over attention and more academic procrastination in college students.
To a majority of the audience, it does not matter that TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts are harmful by virtue. It is the design concept: every swipe gives randomly put rewards. Every clip might be dull, average, or surprisingly good. The uncertainty of that makes viewers remain in the just one more mode.
Online discussions, in some part, argue that short-form content is the cause of ADHD. There is no available research to support that direct causal argument. Nonetheless, with the addition of short-video reinforcement loops to wider bodies of literature on the algorithmic generation of attention, an explanation comes to fruition: uncertain rewards spark frequent visits, focus interruption, background stress, and sleep disruption, especially when it comes to teens (De et al., 2025; Metzler et al., 2023).
Anyone who has intended a “quick check” only to lose half an hour, or has watched bedtime drift later because of late-night scrolling, has felt this effect in real life.
There is also a social layer: likes, facial expressions, social comparisons, and micro-judgments appear within seconds. Over time, constant comparison can erode mood, especially when a person is already overwhelmed, tired, or insecure.
Three Evidence-Based Ways to Regain Control
Science does not merely diagnose the problem—it also offers practical interventions. Here are three categories of “nudges” supported by research in HCI (human–computer interaction), behavioral science, and digital well-being studies.
1. Re-insert stopping cues
The designers also insist that friction, which is the opposite of smooth design, can drop the compulsive use by fivefold. Adobe can even interrupt the autopilot scrolling with little pauses (Meinhardt et al., 2025).
Practical tweaks include:
Disable autoplay. This gets back to a place of decision: you are forced to go on.
Batch notifications. Deliver alerts once or twice a day instead of allowing constant interruptions.
Add time boundaries. Use app timers or personal rituals (e.g., 10-minute sessions) to create artificial “ends.”
Add friction before use. Move apps off the home screen, uninstall them periodically, or place your phone in another room during deep work or before sleep.
Behaviourally, this works through a simple habit loop: Notice → Name → Nudge.
Recognize when you’re doomscrolling, label the emotion (“I feel anxious and want clarity”), and give yourself a small, intentional cue (“Two more headlines, then stop.”).
2. Tweak your comparison diet
Not everything one reads perceives equal mood. In an intervention, in which participants refrained from their social comparisons by recognizing upward, downward, and lateral comparisons, it led to better well-being and decreased problematic use (Andrade et al., 2023).
A practical test:
Go through the recent 20 posts on your feed and enquire:
Do you feel more informed, as well as exhausted and connected?
If not, mute, unfollow, or hide. Curate intentionally.
Other assistive measures are:
Active use Substitution of the passive.
Pin a post, write a comment, forward to a friend, the active use of the platform is not always as harmful as passive consumption.
Use palette cleansers.
Following serious news coverage, the last thing should be something relaxing, nature videos, food clips, or comedy skits.
Tying up with a neutral or positive conclusion will help your nervous system to re-adjust, and you will not be taking stress into the rest of your day.
3. Make Algorithms Work for You
A 2025 report by Mental Health America recommends practical algorithm-based strategies: targeted following, hiding triggers, scheduled usage, and strong sleep-protection practices (MHA, 2025).
You can intentionally train your feed:
Long-press “Not interested.”
Actively search for content you want to see more of.
Use “learning,” “relaxation,” or “creativity” playlists to reshape what the algorithm prioritizes.
Protect nighttime. Charge your phone outside the bedroom, switch on Do Not Disturb, and replace the last 30 minutes of screen time with reading, stretching, or journaling.
Nighttime scrolling is especially potent because fatigue lowers self-regulation. A simple rule, such as a nightly phone cut-off timer, that can prevent long accidental sessions.
When you inevitably slip, respond with compassion rather than guilt:
“Okay, I scrolled longer than planned. What was I feeling? What do I actually need?”
Often, the need is comfort, clarity, or connection, no more headlines.
Putting It Into Daily Life
Small behavioural systems can make a big difference.
Students can use 40-minute focus blocks followed by a short, intentionally chosen video playlist rather than an endless feed.
Workers can create transition rituals between tasks—breathing, stepping outside, writing the next step—before touching the phone.
Families can establish charging stations and no-device zones during meals or the first hour after waking.
A helpful mental test is the “friend screen rule”:
If your best friend could see your feed, would you confidently recommend the content? If not, your algorithm needs recalibrating.
Finally, personalized stopping cues work remarkably well: a nightly hot drink, a specific playlist, a Post-it asking “What am I really looking for?” These cues engage the part of you seeking well-being rather than stimulation.
The Bottom Line
Endless feeds are powerful because they tap into fundamental learning systems in the brain. But that does not make us powerless. With strategic friction, thoughtful curation, and boundaries that protect sleep and attention, it is possible to enjoy the best parts of the internet without falling into the doomscrolling trap.
The key isn’t raw willpower—it’s environmental design. Change the settings, and your habits will follow.
You won’t fall behind. You’ll simply stay informed on your terms, at your pace, with attention that belongs to you.
References:
Andrade, F. C., Erwin, S., Burnell, K., Jackson, J., Storch, M., Nicholas, J., & Zucker, N. (2023). Intervening on Social Comparisons on social media: Electronic Daily Diary Pilot study. JMIR Mental Health, 10, e42024. https://doi.org/10.2196/42024
Culp, S. (2023, September 19). There’s an alternative to the infinite Scroll. WIRED. https://www.wired.com/story/lexicon-scroll-doomscrolling-mindfulness-linguistics/
De, D., Jamal, M. E., Aydemir, E., & Khera, A. (2025). Social Media Algorithms and teen Addiction: neurophysiological impact and ethical considerations. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.77145
Lindström, B., Bellander, M., Schultner, D. T., Chang, A., Tobler, P. N., & Amodio, D. M. (2021). A computational reward learning account of social media engagement. Nature Communications, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19607-x
Meinhardt, L., Elhaidary, M., Colley, M., Rietzler, M., Rixen, J. O., Purohit, A. K., & Rukzio, E. (2025). Scrolling in the Deep: Analyzing Contextual Influences on Intervention Effectiveness during Infinite Scrolling on Social Media. ACM Conference, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713187
Mental Health America. (2025). Breaking the Algorithm (Report). https://mhanational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Breaking-the-Algorithm-report.pdf
Metzler, H., & Garcia, D. (2023). Social drivers and algorithmic mechanisms on digital media. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 19(5), 735–748.
Satici, S. A., Tekin, E. G., Deniz, M. E., & Satici, B. (2022). Doomscrolling Scale: its Association with Personality Traits, Psychological Distress, Social Media Use, and Wellbeing. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 18(2), 833–847. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-022-10110-7
Shabahang, R., Hwang, H., Thomas, E. F., Aruguete, M. S., McCutcheon, L. E., Orosz, G., Khanzadeh, A. a. H., Chirani, B. M., & Zsila, Á. (2024). Doomscrolling evokes existential anxiety and fosters pessimism about human nature? Evidence from Iran and the United States. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 15, 100438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100438
Soraci, P., Griffiths, M. D., Bevan, N., Pisanti, R., Trovato, M., Servidio, R., D’Aleo, E., Campedelli, L., Gallo, F., & Satici, S. A. (2025). Psychometric analysis of the Italian Doomscrolling Scale: Associations with problematic social media use, psychological distress, and mental well-being. Current Psychology, 44(12), 11872–11883. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-07976-9
Xie, J., Xu, X., Zhang, Y., Tan, Y., Wu, D., Shi, M., & Huang, H. (2023). The effect of short-form video addiction on undergraduates’ academic procrastination: a moderated mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1298361
Yan, T., Su, C., Xue, W., Hu, Y., & Zhou, H. (2024). Mobile phone short video use negatively impacts attention functions: an EEG study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2024.1383913
Yang, L., Tan, X., Lang, R., Wang, T., & Li, K. (2024). Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the doomscrolling scale and the mediating role of doomscrolling in the bidirectional relationship between insomnia and depression. BMC Psychiatry, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-06006-5
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