What is doomscrolling is a serious question that most parents have and need answers to. Scrolling has become a problem and parents are now waking up to the impact it has on kids. But as with any other problem, you need to know the root cause before you get a solution.
This piece will tell you what doomscrolling is and ways to identify it. From there we will look and methods of dealing with it to protect your kids.
What is doomscrolling?
Doomscrolling definition is simply where you can’t stop scrolling through all the negative news you can get on the internet. It basically deals with people who are never satisfied with the amount of negative news they can access on articles or social platforms. Even after getting the information you were looking for, you keep on looking for more to see different angles which you might not even find.
When you keenly look at the origin of doomscrolling, you will notice that it began in the late 2010s. The names that would later be called doomscrolling were adopted differently from doom which rounds up bad things and then scrolling. The thing is that the name was adopted to highlight people who cannot help accessing bad news even if it ruins their mood and gives them anxiety.
At the time when the world was struggling and fighting the COVID pandemic, is when the name became even more popular. That was the time people would use their device to get all the negative information about what was happening in the world. Some came out alright but others were consumed with endless negative thoughts after a series of alarming information.
Doomscrolling vs. healthy news consumption
When it comes to healthy news consumption it mainly is consuming relevant news. It’s more about getting the news that you want and then switching to something else. In this case it means you should not spend so much time on news (in this case negative) when you’ve already gotten the information.
Doomscrolling is the exact opposite as it’s more about endless thirst for negative information. These are people that will go through many news outlets to get the same information on negativity.
Doomscrolling vs. mindless scrolling
Mindless scrolling deals with someone just checking posts or news just to kill time. In this type of scrolling people don’t normally have a goal in mind but rather just checking their device.
But when you look at doomscrolling, it’s more about focusing on negative news without getting enough. Its purpose is to feed off as much negative information as possible.
Use parental controls to protect your teens from negative content online.
Explore the psychology behind doomscrolling
When you want to understand why people often participate in doomscrolling, you need to know the psychology behind it. This is the only way you can get to know the route course of the problem.
Why our brains are drawn to negative news?
As humans we are more wired to feed off negativity and it’s quite difficult to stop. Not many people pick up on good news as much as they do on bad news. When you even go on social networks, the algorithms tend to recommend negative news which makes it hard for people to stop accessing.
The best way to understand this is to look at a study done by Peking University. In that study they looked at 43 participants to implement eye tracking analysis. They found that many tend to look at bad or negative content longer than positive ones. This is just to let you know that our brains are wired to lean more towards negative news. To break this cycle you’ll need to take personal initiative and make changes in how you access information.
Why is constant doom scrolling so addictive?
There are many reasons to believe that social algorithms have a huge role to play in the contents we consume. In most social platforms, once you check one negative news or content, they push many negative content continuously.
If you notice that you’re often seeing negative news in your feed, you’ll know that algorithms are the ones recommending it. Once you’re used to the endless cycle of bad news, it’s hard to rewire your brain back to normalcy.
Why minors are specially at risk of being addicted to doomscrolling?
Minors are still developing and they develop based on what they see, hear or read. That’s to say that if they access negative information earlier on, it will be hard for them to stop later on. This in itself will have a long term impact on them to even their mid 20s or early 30s.
Teens are mostly vulnerable to doomscrolling because their brain is still developing. They’re learning how to be emotionally intelligent and thus negative things will affect them longer. That’s why it is essential to ensure and regulate the amount of negative information they access.
The detrimental effects of pessimistic scrolling for teens
Parents of late have many concerns about doomscrolling and how it’s affecting their kids. Most kids have phones these days and it’s hard to monitor them all the time without getting exhausted. But even if parents were to protect their kids from obsessive news consumption, the first need to know all these dangers and their actual impact:
1. Increased anxiety and stress
Many teens cannot be categorized as emotionally stable and therefore anything that can put them in that state is dangerous. That’s why you should give your kid little to no chance to doomscroll since it can lead them to stress and anxiety. These conditions are always long term and can lead to a lot of problems in the future.
2. Poor sleep habits
When you notice teens have started to adopt pessimistic scrolling behavior you need to start setting up restrictions. Otherwise they will start having poor sleeping patterns. The thing with excessive screen time on negative content is that it reduces your sleeping urges. So the sooner you tackle this problem the better.
3. Strained social relationships
There are teens who are comfortable replacing social connections with endless scrolling in search of negative information. And this precise reason is a serious concern for parents and what they wish for their kids. The fact is that all parents want their kids to build real and meaningful connections that will last. But doomscrolling stops teens from having that.
4. Decline in academic performance
When dealing with matters academic, teens need to focus and be true to their study time. But if they’re doomscrolling everytime they need to complete their homework or study then it might be difficult. That’s just to say that parents need to find reliable ways to ensure such issues don’t happen often.
How to identify if you or a loved one is doomscrolling?
If you’ve ever tried it before you’ll know that identifying doomscrolling in someone is not as easy as many think. It takes time and effort to notice patterns that will give you a decisive answer. There are pointers to look for to let you know now the truth:
1. Endless late-night scrolling
If you notice your kids are often scrolling late at night when they should be in bed then that’s an issue. It probably means they are doomscrolling as they feed off negative information on the internet. The worst part is that once you start this habit it’s difficult for you to stop. Late night scrolling is also the reason why they’re tired and unable to undertake their daily tasks.
2. Mood changes after reading news
Another thing you can look for is checking whether their moods change after reading something. This can be a clear indicator that they’re participating in negative news bingeing. The best thing to do in this situation would be to have a talk with them to know the issue. From there you can be able to advise them appropriately.
3. Compulsion to check updates
You should also look out for situations when kids need to check their device every time. If you see them refreshing their feeds or Cialis every time it might mean that they are doomscrolling. It also means that they’ve seen something worrying so they’re looking for more or the same content to keep their minds engaged.
4. Ignoring other responsibilities
There can be many things that make kids not attend to their duties. But if it’s persistent and you always find them on their phone then it might be doomscrolling. At that point you need to do your own investigation into the matter so that you can check what’s troubling them. Once you get the issue you can guide them in a good direction.
5. Physical signs of stress
There are days where you will see that your kids are noticeably stressed out and need help. Sometimes doomscrolling can cause stress especially if you’re in an endless cycle of negative news on things you care about. So when you see that they’re visibly stressed, you can have have a word with them and gauge what’s going on.
Breaking the cycle: How to stop negative news bingeing?
Dealing with doomscrolling is not an easy time especially if they’ve done it for a while. That means it needs special attention to get to the root of it. If you follow these methods you will be once step ahead and easily manage he situation:
1. Encourage positive offline activities
One thing you need to know is that pessimistic scrolling is a product of not having things to do. If you’re limited on what you can spend your free time on you can easily resort to doomscrolling. So as a parent you have to give your kids options of activities they can do instead of using their device.
2. Talk openly about online content
The other thing you have to do is talk to your kids about online content. Explain to them the dangers of negative online content and why they should not spend to much time scrolling on such posts. You can also give them a chance to explain why they do it and then later advice them accordingly on what to do.
3. Use screen time monitoring tools
Negative news bingeing is a problem that needs quick long lasting solutions. Without it, kids are exposed to disrupted sleeping patterns, access to negative content, and exposure to anxiety. That’s why parents need reliable parental control tool to help manage kids digital access.
The best option that parents can go for is FlashGet Kids. It has a screen time feature which stops kids from overusing their device. This feature ensures that kids screen closes when the set time lapses. That makes it easier for your kids to focus on other activities and not doomscrolling.
Final words
Doomscrolling is something almost all teens do. However, it’s not impossible to manage. You just need to stay aware and use the right strategies. Parents may help by encouraging balance, fostering digital literacy and ensuring communication within the home. You can manage it by first identifying situations where it happens and then using methods we have discussed. But if you want more parental guidance then you can use options like FlashGet Kids. With such options you can easily and remotely mange what your kids do on their device.
FAQs
The opposite of doomscrolling is definitely mindful news access. This is just you accessing the information you need and then you stop and move on.
It can be when you go out to get negative news and instead of stoping, you look for similar news. And this puts you in an endless cycle you can’t get out of.
