Alternative to doomscrolling: 7 things to do when you reach for your phone

The short answer: the best alternative to doomscrolling is not putting your phone down for good. It is swapping what you scroll for something that gives you the same easy swipe, leaves you better off, and actually ends. Below are seven options, what the research says about why this habit is so hard to break, and a simple plan you can start today.

What doomscrolling is, and why it is so sticky

Merriam-Webster defines to doomscroll as spending excessive time scrolling through online content, especially news, that makes you feel sad, anxious or angry. The word dates to 2020.

The habit is easy to fall into because a feed has no natural ending. There is always one more post, so you stop when you run out of time or energy, not because you finished. Researchers who reviewed the studies describe doomscrolling as a habitual, compulsive behaviour reinforced by design features such as infinite scrolling and algorithm-picked content.

It is also everywhere in India. A 2025 EY report found Indians spent an average of about five hours a day on their smartphones in 2024, with nearly 70% of that time going to social media, video streaming and gaming. The IAMAI and Kantar Internet in India Report 2025 found that 588 million people, 61% of internet users, watched short videos in 2025.

So for most of us the real question is not whether to scroll. It is what to scroll.

What the research says, and what it does not

• Doomscrolling goes with distress. A study in three online surveys in Türkiye, with about 1,250 people in total, found doomscrolling was linked to higher psychological distress and lower life satisfaction.
• The pattern repeats across studies. A scoping review of 17 studies found consistent links between doomscrolling and anxiety, depression and stress. It also found only one experimental study, so cause and effect is still unproven.
• Heavy short-video use shows a similar link. A 2025 meta-analysis in Psychological Bulletin, covering 71 studies and about 98,000 people, found that heavier short-video use was linked to weaker attention and self-control, and to slightly worse mental health.

Now the honest part. Almost all of this research is cross-sectional, which means it captures a moment in time. It cannot show that scrolling causes the distress. People who already feel anxious may simply scroll more. The authors of the meta-analysis say exactly this and call for studies that follow people over time.

Even so, the direction is consistent, and the fix costs nothing. That makes it a reasonable experiment to run on yourself.

7 alternatives to doomscrolling

1. Short videos that are worth your time

If the thing you miss is the swipe, keep the swipe and change what is in it. Short videos on a topic you chose, from people who know it, give you the same low-effort format with something to take away at the end. The difference from doomscrolling is the content and the stopping point, not the format.

Disclosure: this is what we are building at Qrio, a free Android app of one-minute videos on business, startups and the world. It is Android-only for now.

2. A short daily briefing

A newsletter or digest that you finish is the opposite of a feed, because it has an end. Choose one source you trust and read it once a day, at a set time. When it is done, you are done.

3. Podcasts and audio

Audio frees your eyes and your hands. A 20-minute episode on a walk or a commute fills the same gap as a scroll, and it is hard to doomscroll while you listen.

4. A book or a long read

Ten pages of a book is a small ask, and it trains the habit of staying with one idea. Keep it where your phone usually sits, so the book is the easiest thing to pick up.

5. A short lesson or puzzle app

Apps built around short lessons, such as NerdSip, Wondering and Headway, turn idle minutes into a small win. A daily puzzle works the same way.

6. Add friction to the old habit

This is not a replacement, but it makes every replacement easier. Android has app timers in Digital Wellbeing, and iPhone has App Limits in Screen Time. Tools such as one sec add a pause before an app opens. Even logging out of the app is enough to break the autopilot.

7. Do something physical or social

Walk to the end of the street. Message a friend you have not spoken to. Stretch. When the urge is really about boredom or stress, a change of scene works better than a better screen.

A simple plan you can start today

1. Pick your replacement before the urge. Decide now: "When I pick up my phone to scroll, I will open this instead." Choosing in the moment is when the feed wins.
2. Make the old feed harder to reach. Move the app off your home screen, set a daily timer, or log out.
3. Choose replacements that end. A finished briefing, a set of videos for today, one episode. A stopping point is the whole point.
4. Check in after a week. Notice how you feel at the end of the day, then keep what works and drop what does not.

Is all scrolling bad?

No. The research concern is with heavy, compulsive use, and with feeds built to keep you in them. Looking at a short video on something you care about, then putting your phone down, is a very different habit from an hour of bad news you did not choose.

The goal is not zero screen time. It is to spend your scrolling time on things you would still be glad you did tomorrow.

Sources

• Merriam-Webster, "Doomscrolling"
• Satici et al., "Doomscrolling Scale: its association with personality traits, psychological distress, social media use, and wellbeing", Applied Research in Quality of Life
• "The influence of doomscrolling on mental health: a scoping review", Mental Health and Digital Technologies
• Nguyen et al., "Feeds, Feelings, and Focus", Psychological Bulletin (2025), summarised by PsyPost
• Gizbot report on EY's 2025 findings
• Manifest on the IAMAI and Kantar Internet in India Report 2025