How to stop doomscrolling
The most reliable way to stop doomscrolling is to change the default: make the thing you reach for without thinking something that has an ending. Below are seven practical ways to do that, none of which need a digital detox retreat.
Why it's hard to stop scrolling
A feed never ends. Each swipe is a tiny decision, and there's always one more thing. Without a natural stopping point, you stop when something outside interrupts you: a call, a dead battery, or the sudden realisation it's 1am.
So the fix is less about trying harder and more about changing the setup. Small changes, repeated.
1. Change what opens by default
Most doomscrolling starts on autopilot: you unlock the phone and your thumb goes to the same app. Move that app off your home screen, or into a folder on the last page. You can still open it. You just have to mean it.
2. Add a little friction
Log out of the app you scroll most, or use it only in a browser. A few seconds of extra effort is often enough to break the automatic loop.
3. Turn off the endless feeds you can
Some apps now let you limit their short-video feeds. YouTube's Shorts feed limit can be set to zero. See how to turn off YouTube Shorts for the steps.
4. Decide the end point before you start
"Ten minutes" or "until the kettle boils" works better than "a bit". If the thing you're watching doesn't have an ending, give it one.
5. Swap the feed for something with an ending
A full documentary, a whole match, an album. Long things have a shape, and when they end you notice the time. That's why dunno.tv plays only full-length videos on TV-style channels.
6. Keep the phone out of the bedroom
Charge it in another room and use a cheap alarm clock. Night-time scrolling is the hardest kind to stop, because the only thing that ends it is falling asleep.
7. Make the easy choice the good one
By 10pm, nobody wants to make one more decision. Set things up so the lazy option is a decent one: a channel that's already playing something worth watching, instead of a feed asking for your next swipe.
Where dunno.tv fits
We built dunno.tv for exactly the moment you'd otherwise open a feed. It turns YouTube into channels you flip through, playing full-length videos back to back. No Shorts, no feed, nothing to swipe. Something good is already on, and it's free with no account.
Questions people ask
- What can I do instead of doomscrolling?
- Pick something with a natural end: a full episode, a chapter of a book, one match, a call with a friend. Feeds never end, so you have to decide when to stop. Things with an ending decide for you.
- Why is it so hard to stop scrolling?
- Feeds are built so there's always one more item, and each swipe is a small, quick decision. With no natural stopping point, you keep going until something outside interrupts you.
- Does turning off YouTube Shorts help?
- It helps if Shorts are where your scrolling happens. The YouTube app's Shorts feed limit can be set to zero minutes. Our guide to YouTube without Shorts covers the steps and what it misses.
Stop scrolling. Turn it on.
dunno.tv has 15 free channels and needs no account. Want channels built around exactly what you like? Answer 4 questions and AI builds your lineup. Plans start at $6 a month, with a 3-day free trial. See pricing.
Keep reading
- Free live TV channels: All 15 free channels and what's on each one.
- Channel surfing, again: Flip through channels the way TV used to work, built from YouTube.
- YouTube without Shorts: How to turn Shorts off, and what to watch instead.
- Pluto TV alternatives: Free live-TV-style options, compared honestly.
Free channels: Documentaries, Tennis, Chess, Cricket, News.