With so much going on in the world, doomscrolling is becoming increasingly common—and not just in children and teenagers. However, this behaviour can be difficult to deal with, and can have negative consequences on the brain and emotions, so understanding why your child can’t stop scrolling negative news is imperative if you want to help.
It is worth pointing out that tackling issues like doomscrolling can be more difficult for people with ADHD due to increased dopamine seeking. Regardless of this, knowing how to help and being there for your child to assist them is key.
What Is Doomscrolling, and Why Is It Addictive?
Doomscrolling, which can be simplified as prolonged intake of negative news, is a common issue in today’s world, and can be addictive because of the release of dopamine we get when we find new, interesting, or shocking information—which makes you seek out more, and doomscroll more.
The term doomscrolling refers to when a person spends a lot of their time watching/listening/reading negative news online, often from all around the world. Some people may feel like they need to do this, and are unable to tear themselves away from the behaviour, and many will tell themselves that they are doing it ‘just to stay informed’ about the happenings in the world.
However, doomscrolling can become a habit that can make you feel stuck in a cycle of negativity, increase anxiety, worsen symptoms of depression, and more. If your child is doomscrolling and constantly taking in negative news, you will probably begin to notice signs and behavioural changes that mean that some level of intervention is needed.
The reason why your child can’t stop scrolling negative news and can become ‘addicted’ to the behaviour comes down to dopamine, and how it reinforced the behaviour. As dopamine is the brain’s ‘feel good’ chemical, it is incredibly powerful, and can influence your behaviour by making you want to continue what you are doing so that you can keep getting a new hit—and the cycle goes on.
What Are the Signs That Your Child is Doomscrolling?
Some signs that your child is doomscrolling a lot could include signs of depression and low mood, spending more time on their devices, increased levels of anxiety, and discussing topics that may not be suitable for their age. However, please remember that everyone will be different, so it is crucial to know your child and have a baseline for their behaviour.
Some signs that your child might be doomscrolling include:
- Low mood
- Signs of depression
- Increased screen time
- More agitated or anxious when using their device
- Discussing topics that are not suitable for their age
Why Are Children and Teens Drawn to Negative News?
Negative news and events elicit a heightened emotional response, offer dopamine, and feed on the negativity bias that is inherent in human nature, where negative news has a more significant impact on us than positive or neutral things—even when there is more good than bad.
Part of the reason why children and teens are so drawn to negative news is because they do not fully understand the dangers of doing it. While most people, including adults, will want to partake in the same behaviour, the difference in experiences and understanding what is and isn’t good for you will impact the choice you make. For many of us, this is why adults will doomscroll less, and children and teens will do it more, as there is often a clear difference in online safety, self-care, and the overall ability to not get caught in the negative cycle.
It’s also worth mentioning that many children will be drawn to negative news as a means of better understanding the world and the ongoing events around them. In the digital age we live in, accessing information is easier than ever, and the internet and social media mean that we can passively spend time scrolling negative news easily.
What Role Does Anxiety, ADHD, and the Developing Brain Play?
Young age, anxiety, and ADHD can all make scrolling negative news much worse for many reasons. From time blindness and increased dopamine-seeking behaviours with ADHD, to limited experience with the internet and safety, doomscrolling is harder to curb when there are additional factors to take into consideration.
ADHD makes doomscrolling worse with:
- Time blindness can result in hours of doomscrolling passing when it feels like minutes
- Dopamine-seeking behaviours like doomscrolling reward the brain for the activity
- Hyperfocus can make you seek out bad news and doomscroll repeatedly
- Lack of self-regulation means that even if you know it’s bad for you, stopping the behaviour can be incredibly difficult
- Impulsivity can make you pick your phone up and start mindless doomscrolling without making a conscious decision to do so
The Emotional Toll: How Bad News Impacts Young Minds
Bad news—especially consistent bad news—can impact young minds by making symptoms of anxiety and depression worse, contributing to and causing low moods that can lead to bed rotting, overall worsening mental and physical health, and more.
It is normal for someone to feel hopeless when they constantly take in negative news and doomscroll, and this can add to symptoms of depression while also making mental well-being worse. The stress that this news can incite can also be problematic, as increased cortisol levels can suppress the immune system, lead to high blood pressure, fatigue, and other physical and mental problems that should be avoided.
While you might ask yourself why your child can’t stop scrolling negative news, please remember that the issue is more complex than you may initially think, and there are numerous factors working against one another.
What Are the Signs Your Child Might Be Struggling Emotionally?
Pay attention to your children, and take note of when their behaviour changes. Changes like long-lasting sadness, difficulty sleeping, changes in social behaviours, topics of conversation, and outbursts are key things to look for, but emotional struggle can look different in everyone.
When a child or teen is struggling, they may not want to get out of bed, their interests could shift or seemingly disappear entirely, they may be sleeping less, their attention span could decrease, and they may have impaired memory or learning. Remember to take it slow, and always be empathetic—frustration and anger will only make the situation worse, so tread carefully.
How Can Parents Help Without Blaming or Shaming?
As a parent wondering why your child can’t stop scrolling negative news, please remember to be empathetic and help your child instead of blaming or shaming them. Find ways to actively help them and show support in whatever you are doing to let them know that they can count on you.
To help with decreasing the amount of negative news that your child sees, you can try the following things:
- Encourage a more positive social media experience – you can help your children curate more positive feeds and suggest accounts for them to follow that will offer positivity and balance out their social media
- Set healthy boundaries around screen time – this will be different for everyone, but you can set family screen time limits together, and help everyone (including yourself), build better skills and self-regulate while establishing clear and much-needed boundaries
- Promote mindful media consumption – teach your children to be mindful of how they feel as they scroll, both physically and emotionally. Tension, quicker pulse, hyperventilation, irritation, anxiety, stinging eyes, and more, are all indicators that they need to take a break from scrolling
- Be a good role model – set a good example for your children, and limit your own time scrolling on social media and apps. Children are known for copying parents, and if they see you being a good role model, they are more likely to copy that behaviour
You also need to be willing to have open conversations on the topic, and have a safe and judgement-free space where your children feel comfortable talking to you about things. Additionally, you should try to foster more offline activities and interests for your children to dig into—there will definitely be something that they like.
How The Brain Workshop Supports Kids in the Digital Age
Understanding why your child can’t stop scrolling negative news is key before you can take steps to remedy it. However, it can take time, and you will need some patience while you work with them.
Worried your child is glued to negative news? Get expert guidance from The Brain Workshop—where we help young minds find balance and resilience.
If you would like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact us, learn more about us at the Brain Workshop, meet our team, check out events, or even read our FAQ. Or, find out more about how doomscrolling affects a child’s developing brain, the impact that Ramadan has on your brain, how to stay productive in school during the holy month, and how to manage exams during this time.
