Here's how to stop doomscrolling: decide when you'll check news and social media, put a timer on every session, and make the feed harder to open. Turn off most notifications, keep your phone out of the bedroom and try a grayscale screen. When you catch yourself scrolling, pause, notice how you feel and put the phone down.
The steps below come from a psychologist, a physician and a campus wellness team, plus Apple's own instructions for the iPhone settings mentioned here. You don't have to quit the news or delete every app. The goal is to scroll on purpose, for a set time, and then stop.
University Hospitals (UH) in Cleveland describes doomscrolling as compulsively scrolling through news and social media feeds, often full of negative content, and being unable to stop. Anyone with a phone or computer can fall into it. Courtney Batt, MD, an adolescent medicine expert at UH, says younger adults and people who closely follow politics are more likely to do it.
Part of the pull is reward. Dr. Batt explains that doomscrolling triggers the release of dopamine, so the scrolling itself feels rewarding even when the content leaves you feeling worse. Feeds also have no natural end. Cleveland Clinic psychologist Adam Borland, PsyD, puts it this way: you lose time, and you lose a sense of clarity about what you're reading and how it's affecting you. He says doomscrolling can fuel stress and anxiety and even disrupt sleep.
Staying informed is fine. The trouble starts when checking has no limits. The University of Nebraska Medical Center's campus wellness team suggests limiting your exposure if you find it hard to step away, for example by checking the news for 10 minutes twice a day. Pick two times that suit you, such as 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., and keep news apps closed in between.
Dr. Borland recommends screen time limits you can actually stick to, starting with realistic goals, and an alarm that tells you when time is up. If you scroll for two hours most evenings, a 30-minute cap tonight is a real win. You can tighten it later.
Stopping is easier when you have somewhere to go. Dr. Borland suggests something better for your mental health, like a walk or a new hobby. UH suggests going for a walk, reading a book, making a snack or doing a hobby you enjoy. Write a short "instead" list and keep it where you usually scroll:
Walk around the block.
Read 10 pages of a book.
Text a friend about something that isn't the news.
Make a cup of tea and tidy one surface.
Dr. Borland suggests noticing what scrolling is doing to you physically, such as a headache, muscle tension or just not feeling well. If you start feeling off, change what you're watching or take a break from your phone. UH calls this mindful scrolling: pause, notice how you feel mentally and physically, then get up and put the phone down for a while. A quick script helps: "How do I feel right now? Is this helping me do anything today?"
You can shape what you see. UH suggests following accounts that offer educational, uplifting or human-interest content to balance out the negative headlines. Mute or unfollow accounts that leave you tense, and add a few that teach you something or make you laugh.
UH also suggests taking an extended social media break every now and then. Try a weekend away from one app, or remove it from your phone for a week and check it only on a computer. Notice how you feel at the end.
The UNMC wellness team puts it simply: less doomscrolling creates more time to do things you enjoy. Plan one thing for that time, even something small, so the gap doesn't pull you straight back to the feed.
UH notes that there are phone settings and apps designed to limit your access to social media and news. On an iPhone, these are worth trying:
Turn off notifications for news and social apps. Every alert is an invitation to open the feed. Apple's steps: open Settings, tap Apps, tap the app, tap Notifications, then turn off Allow Notifications.
Try grayscale. Open Settings, then tap Accessibility, Display & Text Size, then Color Filters. Turn Color Filters on and choose Grayscale. Apple notes that the Accessibility Shortcut can switch Color Filters on or off quickly. Try it for a week and see whether the feed feels less tempting.
Move tempting apps off your Home Screen. Put them in a folder on the last page so opening them takes a deliberate extra step.
Set limits with Screen Time. Apple's built-in Screen Time lets you set limits on apps. Our guide to setting Screen Time limits on iPhone walks through the steps.
Charge your phone outside the bedroom. UH warns that late-night scrolling of any kind can overstimulate the brain and get in the way of quality sleep. A cheap alarm clock means your phone doesn't have to be the last thing you see at night or the first thing you see in the morning.
Morning: Your phone stays on the charger in the kitchen until you're dressed. Then one 10-minute news window.
Workday: Notifications from news and social apps are off, and those apps live in a folder on your last Home Screen page.
Evening: A second 10-minute news window with a timer. When it rings, do one thing from your "instead" list.
Bedtime: The phone charges outside the bedroom, and a book or podcast takes its place.
This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation. UH links doomscrolling with worsening depression and anxiety. If you feel anxious or low most days, if scrolling is hurting your sleep, work or relationships, or if you can't cut back despite trying, talk to your doctor or a mental health professional. If you ever feel unsafe or have thoughts of harming yourself, contact your local emergency number or a crisis line right away.
It's compulsively scrolling through news and social media, often full of bad news, and finding it hard to stop, even when it makes you feel worse.
Feeds never end, and according to UH's Dr. Batt, scrolling releases dopamine, which rewards the habit even when the content is upsetting. That's why it helps to set limits ahead of time, like a timer, instead of trying to decide to stop in the middle of a scroll.
There's no single right amount. If you struggle to step away, the UNMC wellness team gives 10 minutes twice a day as an example. Start there and adjust.
Not necessarily. Time limits, a better feed and fewer notifications may be enough. If they aren't, UH suggests an extended social media break, and you can always reinstall an app later.
If Screen Time limits feel too easy to dismiss, FocusPass: App Blocker blocks the apps, categories or websites you choose using Apple's Screen Time picker. When you open a blocked app, you can go back or take a timed Pass, such as 5, 10 or 15 minutes, and it relocks automatically when the Pass ends, even if FocusPass is closed. There's no account and no ads, your rules and history stay on your device, and a Turn Off All Protection option is never locked behind a purchase.
Get FocusPass free on the App Store
Why You Should Avoid Doomscrolling (Cleveland Clinic Newsroom)
Take Care 101: Avoid Doomscrolling (University of Nebraska Medical Center)
Turn notifications on or off for an app on iPhone (Apple Support)
Use display and text size preferences on your iPhone (Apple Support)