Silent Costs of Doomscrolling: Social Media, Addiction, & Health

Opinion

By Ashley Harris

 Did you know that the average cellphone user checks their phone 205 times a day, according to Consumer Affairs, spending at least 4 hours and 30 minutes either on the internet, taking pictures, or checking emails. This level of constant engagement highlights how deeply technology usage is embedded in daily lives.

Social media has already and will continue to evolve how we communicate, learn, and entertain ourselves.  However, this rapid evolution has raised concerns about excessive usage and its high potential for psychological damage.  The main issue is what is called doomscrolling. This is a compulsive, behavioral addiction when users get trapped in seeing endless algorithms that reward emotional engagement, triggering either fear, curiosity, joy,  or anticipation that prevents them from “logging off”.   Doomscrolling is primarily fueled by negative content like violence, politics, and internet drama.  Overuse creates the addiction.  Stemming from the rush of dopamine users experience when scrolling.  Losing track of time and motivation to complete real-time tasks.  

Recently, platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and Meta have been accused of creating addictive designs and engineered algorithm manipulation.   Lawsuits filed by individuals, school districts, and state attorneys general argue that these platforms intentionally use design patterns that prioritize engagement over users’ welfare.  In addition, such practices have resulted in phone addiction (nomophobia), anxiety, depression, overstimulation, fatigue, and self-image issues. Users are demanding that these platforms acknowledge and take responsibility for their lack of transparency regarding how their content promotes addictive behavior.  A 19-year-old female, referred to as K.G.M, from California, is the first of several cases to go to trial in relation to “social media addiction” (The Times, 2026).  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents, teens, and young adults fell victim to social media addiction.  When the world shut down, many felt that they had no other choice but to “stay connected” to the outside world through a screen.  Post-pandemic, adolescents continue to have difficulty with face-to-face socialization.  Take notice of how often you see individuals glued to their phones.  

Beyond individual mental health effects, doomscrolling also has broader social consequences. Exposure to distressing content can cause users to live in fear, have intense feelings of helplessness, and experience chronic stress.  People often say that our society has grown desensitized to the real world.  By encouraging media transparency and prioritizing mental well-being, society can begin to reduce the long-term psychological costs of doomscrolling and foster a more balanced, healthier relationship with technology in the digital age.