Just before you call it a night, you grab your phone and start watching some Tikoks, and what starts innocently soon turns into you scrolling on your phone for over an hour. Everyone struggles with this screen addiction, but how much are we hurting ourselves with it?
Doomscrolling is a new phenomenon only becoming prevalent after the 2020 pandemic. It is when someone spends an excessive amount of time on their phone. This can be done through scrolling on social media, reading the news, or even playing a game. While everyone knows scrolling endlessly is bad for us, what does it actually do?
Well according to the experts at Reid Health, screen time should be limited to less than two hours a day. This includes more than just our phones; it also takes into account our TV’s and computers.
For many, this number may seem unachievable since the average American spends 11 hours of their day in front of their screen. Thus, many spend more than half their day staring at some sort of device.
When asked about his screen time Dante Lewis (10) said, “I am almost always on my phone. If it wasn’t for school and practices I would probably be on it all day.”
It is believed this added screen time leads towards risks for insomnia, headaches, neck pain, and a reduction in physical activity. However, with school work and jobs becoming more and more digital, it sometimes can become impossible to avoid our screens.
While this is concerning, this does not take into consideration what endless scrolling does to our health. According to UNC Health, the immediate dopamine hit doomscrolling gives us is very dangerous. With it possibly leading to anxiety, depression, cognitive issues, emotional instability, and just an overall decrease in our quality of life.
Not only does doomscrolling lower our mood, it actually makes us simpleminded. Instead of searching and discovering information on their own, many just have it served directly to them. Especially to young developing brains this can be extremely detrimental to cognitive health.
Thankfully, it is not impossible to quit. Through screen time limits, engaging in outdoor activities, or even reading a book can all help prevent doom scrolling.
From my personal experience I have been able to drop my screen time from typically ten hours a day to less than half. I did this by deleting my social media and spending more in person time with my friends. At first it was hard since you really feel the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) the first week. After a while you realize you aren’t missing much which allows you to find new hobbies and interest in life, besides just staring at your phone, and overall I have seen drastic improvements in my health, mood, and overall feelings.
