Chances are you’ve done this before.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-name” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Black Han Sans|||on|||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ header_4_font=”|||on|||||” header_4_text_align=”center” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]
Words by Georgia Aspinall<\/strong><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-892227504.jpg” alt=”Doomscrolling” title_text=”Is technology doing more harm than good?” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″] Have you ever found yourself up late at night, reading endless reels of horrendous global news, unable to put your found down? Well, you\u2019re just like half of the population then \u2013 and now it has a name: doomscrolling.<\/p>\n Doomscrolling is defined as the act of compulsively scrolling through negative news and social media feeds, even when it causes stress or anxiety. New research published by Social Science Research Network (SSRN) has found that over half of individuals acknowledge an addiction to scrolling, with British adults spending an average of three hours daily scrolling on their phones, and nearly one in five (19%) scrolling for over five hours.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m definitely addicted to doomscrolling,\u2019 Sarah*, 27 from London told Grazia. \u2018I\u2019ll watch video after video about how terrible the world is and literally feel my anxiety rising in my body. My immediate reaction is to stop what I\u2019m doing and find a way to relax, turning on the TV or cooking some food, and within minutes I\u2019m back on my phone scrolling again. It\u2019s second nature at this point, I barely notice I\u2019m doing it until it\u2019s been hours.\u2019<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″] According to the report, a significant portion exhibit \u2018severely problematic\u2019 news consumption linked directly to poorer mental health outcomes, including heightened stress and anxiety, while financial anxiety is also driving this behaviour, with a 2024 study finding over half of UK consumers are \u2018obsessed\u2019 with checking financial apps, a figure rising to 63% for Gen Z and 64% for Millennials.<\/p>\n \u2018Social media is hijacking human attention, and this new report proves it\u2019s fuelling a mental health crisis,\u2019 Sumita Hutchison, Director, NHS Foundation Trust Board \u2018People are desperate for relief from the digital overload that\u2019s eroding mental well-being,\u2019 added Dr. Bala Subramaniam, mental health researcher and Professor of Anaesthesiology at Harvard Medical School. \u2018This is a wake-up call for policymakers: we need systemic changes that prioritize human health over algorithm-driven engagement.\u2019<\/p>\n According to the report, the constant immersion in negative content activates the body’s stress response and is linked to increased anxiety, fear, depression, poor sleep quality, and even a distorted perception of reality. Digital platforms, with algorithms designed to hold attention and often prioritising negative or emotionally charged content, create an environment where doomscrolling thrives then.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-quote” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”Libre Bodoni|||on|||||” header_2_text_align=”center” header_2_text_color=”#333333″ header_2_font_size=”40px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″] \u2018My roommates and I have started locking our phones away to combat this,\u2019 Emily, 29 from Manchester says. \u2018When we get home from work, we\u2019ll have some time to chill and then we make a rule as soon as we start cooking the phones go in a locked draw and we\u2019ll sit and talk or watch a film together. It\u2019s genuinely made such a difference because it stops you idly reaching for your phone when you get a bit bored during a show or think about going on social media. If you want your phone, you have to get up and unlock the draw and face the music from the rest of us!\u2019<\/p>\n But what\u2019s the wider the solution? The research suggests that meditation practices are vital in combatting the rise of doomscrolling. Meditation can \u2018strengthen emotional regulation, reduce stress, and counter the urge to compulsively consume negative information,\u2019 it states.<\/p>\n In fact, when a free meditation app called Miracle of Mind launched, it was downloaded by one million people within 15 hours. The app offers simple seven-minute guided meditations, and its download popularity broke records set ChatGPT, Tik Tok, Facebook and Instagram.<\/p>\n \u2018The explosive success of \u201cMiracle of Mind\u201d sends a clear message\u2014people are desperate for digital wellness solutions,\u2019 Dr Shobha Puttaswamaiah, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, NHS Trust said. \u2018But individual action alone isn\u2019t enough. Governments must step up and implement policies that prioritize AI and social media usage to support mental health, rather than fuelling engagement-driven algorithms.<\/p>\n \u2018Social media platforms are optimized for maximum screen time, not well-being, and the result is an epidemic of stress, anxiety, and digital addiction\u2014what many are now calling \u2018brain rot.\u2019 The mental health crisis is already here\u2014if we don\u2019t act now, we\u2019re risking an entire generation,\u2019 Dr Puttaswamaiah added.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#111111″ divider_position=”center” divider_weight=”2px” module_class=”custom-divider” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text module_class=”credit-texts” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|||on|||||” text_orientation=”center” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″] Photo: <\/b>Getty<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Do you do this every night? Most of us do…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":9723,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"guestgrazia","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9718"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9727,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9718\/revisions\/9727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/grazia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Said in response. \u2018Services in the UK are stretched to breaking point and costing the government tens of millions each year.\u2019<\/p>\n‘This is a wake-up call for policy makers.’<\/h2>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]