// TECHCRUNCH — MODA & SOCIETÀ
Apps to distract you from the endless cycle of doomscrolling
You open your phone to check the time or a quick message. The next thing you know, an hour has passed and you’ve scrolled through endless celebrity drama, cat videos, awful news stories, influencer rants, and whatever else the algorithm decided to throw at you.
Even though you probably don’t want to keep wasting your time and energy on this mind-numbing content, you do it again the next day.
Doomscrolling, the habit of spending excessive amounts of time consuming content on social media, has become incredibly widespread. A survey from last year found that 64% of Americans say they doomscroll.
Researchers have warned that doomscrolling can negatively affect several aspects of your well-being, including your mental health and attention span. Spending long periods scrolling can lead to brain fatigue, difficulty focusing, and disrupted sleep. And if a lot of the content you’re consuming is negative or stressful, it can leave you feeling disheartened, anxious, and emotionally drained.
It’s hard to break the cycle of doomscrolling, but there are plenty of apps that provide content that’s engaging and productive.
Of course, you could always read a book or go for a walk (we have a guide on how to stop doomscrolling), but this list is for when you have a few spare minutes and want something to do on your phone that isn’t endless scrolling.
Finch is a self-care pet app that’s designed to help you build healthy habits. You care for a cute virtual pet by completing small daily goals, such as drinking enough water, going on a walk, and practicing mindfulness. You can write about your day, complete a breathing exercise, or send good vibes to a friend by adding them to the app.
The more self-care you do, the more your pet thrives. The app offers a fun way to trade mindless scrolling for small moments of self-care.
Libby is a free reading app that connects you to your local public library’s digital collection of ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines. All you need is a library card to borrow thousands of titles, which makes it easy to turn screen time into something productive.
You can explore a new book during a commute or while waiting at a doctor’s office, turning moments when your fingers might otherwise itch to scroll into opportunities to read.