Spending extended periods doomscrolling—compulsively consuming negative online content—can have a damaging impact on mental health, according to new research from University College London (UCL). The study highlights a vicious cycle where individuals already experiencing poor mental health are drawn to bleak information, further deepening their emotional struggles. The research, published in Nature Human Behaviour, involved over 1,000 participants who underwent psychological evaluations before and after browsing the internet. Those with lower mental health scores showed a clear tendency to engage with negative-themed websites.
In follow-up experiments, participants exposed to negative content were more likely to seek out additional distressing material, reinforcing the cycle of despair. This behavior was contrasted with those directed towards positive content, who exhibited no such pattern. Lead researcher Professor Tali Sharot noted the growing concern about the link between poor mental health and prolonged internet use, emphasizing the need to understand its long-term effects in a digitally connected world.
The findings align with earlier research from King’s College London, which revealed that teens with problematic smartphone habits face significantly higher risks of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Nearly half of these adolescents reported anxiety symptoms, while many showed signs of depression. With one in five teens exhibiting excessive phone use, experts warn of a growing mental health crisis and stress the importance of addressing these behaviors to prevent long-term harm.