ADHD Doomscrolling: 15 Effective Strategies to Break the Cycle of Screen Addiction

Kaitlyn Boudreault
Feb 28
7 min read

Updated: Jun 7

Do you find yourself scrolling through your smartphone late into the night? Are you losing hours upon hours of your time to endless social-media feeds?

You’re not alone.

According to Statistics Canada, in 2022, Canadian adults spent, on average, 3.2 hours per day in front of screens, and research suggests adults with ADHD log even more.

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, the amount of information we have access to can feel overwhelming.

Every time you look at your social media feed, you may see another alarming headline, with constant, on-demand news, it may feel impossible to put your phone down.

An individual engaged in ADHD doomscrolling

This sticky habit is called “doomscrolling.”

For people navigating Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), doomscrolling can be worsened by impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, and executive-function difficulties

As your responsibilities—whether related to work, relationships, social, or personal goals—continue to pile up, the impulse to seek stimulation can overpower the need to commit to these important tasks.

If this sounds familiar., a neurodiversity-affirming therapist or coach can help you regain control.

In this blog, we’ll define doomscrolling, examine its link to ADHD, and 15 practical, ADHD-friendly strategies to stop the scroll.

What is Doomscrolling?

Doomscrolling is the compulsive act of consuming negative news or social media posts for prolonged period.

Night after night, you continuously scroll through feeds filled with distressing information. Each headline is more upsetting than the last but as the clock continues to tick away, you find yourself trapped in a cycle of consumption, instead of winding down for the night.

This behavior can also create a vicious cycle where you find yourself trapped in a loop of negativity. It makes it difficult to focus on anything positive in your personal life or the world.

Why Social Media Feels Addictive, Especially with ADHD

Understanding the addictive nature of your smartphone is a first step to understanding why doomscrolling may be so prevalent. Several design features hook the ADHD brain:

Endless Content: As you scroll, you are constantly encouraged to engage with new content. This keeps fresh content flowing.
Algorithmic Personalization: Ever looked something up and then your social media feed is pushing ads based on this information? Social media is programmed to show you what spikes your interests, which increases the likelihood that you will stay engaged.
Instant social validation (likes, shares, comments): The neurotransmitter dopamine, which is a feel-good chemical, is increased during social validation. Social media platforms use this need for validation. Each like, share, and comment delivers a dopamine hit, making you feel good and want to stay engaged with social media.
Ease of Access: The temptation is in your pocket 24-7.
Emotion-Triggering Headlines: Social media is filled with controversial topics, which spark outrage or fear, and are attention magnets.
Push Notifications: Social media alerts create a sense of urgency that drives users to check their devices frequently.

ADHD + Doomscrolling: Four Key Drivers

Doomscrolling may be exasperated in individuals with ADHD due to a variety of reasons, including

Impulse control challenges: Impulse control challenges for those with ADHD can make make “just one more swipe” hard to resist.
Hyperfocus: Focusing on things that you are passionate about can lead to lengthy periods spent scrolling. This can often be to the exclusion of other important tasks.
Emotional self-regulation issues: May be drawn to negative news as a coping tool.
Time Agnosia: Poor sense of how much time has passed or predicting how much time a task will take you can let hours of scrolling slip by unnoticed.

The combination of these ADHD challenges can make it difficult to manage digital consumption.

The Dopamine Connection

Dopamine plays a role in pleasure and reward. Because the ADHD brain starts with lower baseline dopamine, it seeks quick rewards and stimulating experiences.

Novelty: Shocking headlines increase dopamine, which may cause ADHDers to keep scrolling to feel more pleasure and reward.
Instant Gratification: The feedback (likes, comments, shares) from consuming content can increase your feelings of pleasure causing individuals with ADHD to seek additional feedback.
Compulsive Behaviour: The brain's desire for relief from boredom often leads individuals with ADHD to compulsively engage in scrolling.

Common Triggers

Understanding the triggers that may lead you to doomscroll may help you discover new strategies to mitigate it. Here are some reasons why ADHDers doomscroll:

Boredom
Anxiety or Overwhelm
Procrastination
Lack of Structure

Why Doomscrolling Hurts ADHDers

The occasional scroll of social media may not create too much of an issue. But if doomscrolling becomes a constant theme within your life, it may have some consequences that can impact your daily life. These include:

Mental Health Impacts: Constant exposure to negative news can elevate anxiety, stress levels, and depressive symptoms.
Sleep Disturbance: The blue light emitted from your screen can interfere with sleep patterns, leading to fatigue and concentration difficulties through the day.
Worsened Emotional Regulation: Doomscrolling can intensify feelings of sadness, irritability, or frustration and make it challenging to manage everyday challenges.
Rejection-Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD): Consistently seeing things in the media that can make you feel inadequate can exasperate these challenges.

Can Doomscrolling Make ADHD Worse?

Absolutely. The consequences of doomscrolling for ADHDers extend beyond mere distraction. The constant doomscrolling can lead to:

Increased Irritability: Additional stress can trigger irritability and restlessness in ADHDers.
Productivity Challenges: Time lost to doomscrolling leads to missed deadlines.
Emotional Dysregulation: The emotions that can be experienced as you doom scroll can worsen the existing emotional challenges experienced by ADHDers.

Justice Sensitivity & Compassion Fatigue

Another layer of the relationship between ADHD and doomscrolling involves the concept of justice sensitivity. Many ADHDers are highly sensitive to injustice, which can lead to:

Overwhelming Emotions
Compassion Fatigue: Feeling drained by constant global crises. Use the spoon theory to regulate your energy levels in this case.
Rumination: Replaying distressing stories long after logging off.

15 ADHD-Friendly Strategies to Stop Doomscrolling

If you are facing challenges with doomscrolling here are some strategies that you can implement:

1. Set app or phone timers

One effective strategy is to set clear time limits on how much time you spend consuming news or social media content. By establishing boundaries, such as using timers or apps designed to monitor and restrict screen time, you can create designated periods for checking updates. Additionally, scheduling specific times throughout the day to engage with news allows for much-needed breaks in between to reduce feelings of overwhelm.

2. Disable non-essential notifications

Minimize distractions by turning off unnecessary notifications that may lead to impulsive behavior. This simple adjustment can decrease the urge to check your device and help you maintain focus on more important and urgent tasks.

3. Schedule Screen-Free Times

Designate specific times of the day to be entirely screen-free. Use this time for meaningful activities, such as spending time with loved ones, engaging in hobbies, or enjoying nature. These screen-free intervals serve as opportunities for connection and reflection and can reduce your urge to doomscroll.

4. Curate Your Feed

Curate your social media feed to promote a positive experience. Consciously choosing to follow accounts that share uplifting, inspirational, or educational content can change your online interactions.

5. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a dialectical behavior therapy skill that offers a practical approach to break free from doomscrolling. Checking in with your emotional state while browsing can help you recognize anxiety and take proactive steps to manage your digital consumption mindfully.

6. Exercise

Physical activity can serve as a powerful distraction. Even a short walk can redirect your focus and reduce the craving for digital stimulation. Engaging in regular exercise can also boost your mood and improve your overall well-being.

7. Replace Doomscrolling with Hobbies

Identify activities that you enjoy, such as reading, painting, or participating in sports, and dedicate time to these pursuits. Creating a list of alternative activities can serve as a quick reference guide when the urge to scroll arises.

8. Seek Support

Consider reaching out for the help of an ADHD coach or therapist. Professional guidance can provide personalized strategies tailored to your unique experiences and needs.

9. Be Kind to Yourself

Recognize that breaking free from the doomscrolling habit won't happen overnight. Practice self-compassion and celebrate small victories. Acknowledge that progress can take time. If you slip back into old habits, don’t be too harsh on yourself.

10. Switch to Grayscale

Consider switching your device's display to grayscale mode. Studies suggest that users get less satisfaction from visuals that lack colour. Therefore, this change can lessen the temptation to endlessly scroll.

11. Identify the Goal & Plan Ahead

Before picking up your phone, take a moment to decide on your goal for engaging with that content. Ask yourself what you are looking for and how you will know when you’ve found it. Planning ahead clarifies your intentions and minimizes your need to scroll endlessly.

12. Learn

Prior to going online, define what you want to learn. Ask yourself, what specific information am I seeking? This can allow you to remain focused as you scroll the internet and avoid passive scrolling for extended periods.

13. Think "Later"

When you feel tempted to dive into unrelated content while online, remind yourself to think "later." If something diverts your attention, assess its importance—does it need to be addressed now, or can it wait? Bookmark interesting links or save social media posts to revisit when you're ready. This will allow you to maintain focus on your immediate goals.

14. Lump Your Screen Time

Try to focus your screen time into one designated block. This could mean treating screen time as a reward after completing essential tasks. Avoid placing screen time first or last in your day to prevent blue light interference with your sleep and wake schedule and patterns.

15. Leave It

Take regular breaks from the digital world by unplugging from screens for at least one day each month. This intentional disconnection can help you rediscover offline activities that are fulfilling. Use this time to reconnect with yourself and explore new interests.