Apps to help break the cycle of doomscrolling

The habit of doomscrolling—spending excessive time consuming social media content—has become a widespread routine. A survey from last year found that 64% of Americans report that they doomscroll. While the behavior is common, researchers have warned that doomscrolling can negatively affect several aspects of your well-being, including your mental health and attention span. To counter these effects, a variety of mobile applications offer structured, engaging alternatives to passive scrolling.

Dudel Draw For a creative outlet, Dudel Draw provides users with a daily random shape to transform into a drawing. The application, which is available for free on iOS, allows users to share and compare their creations with friends as an alternative to sharing social media videos.

Radio Garden To maintain a connection to the world without social media, Radio Garden allows users to listen to over 25,000 live radio stations from across the globe. Users navigate a digital globe to select stations by location. The app is free on iOS and Android, with an ad-free premium tier available for $2.99 per month.

Elevate Designed for cognitive training, Elevate features over 40 games focused on memory, focus, math, and reading skills. The app offers a free version with three daily games, or a full yearly subscription for $39.99 on both iOS and Android.

Vocabulary To assist with language acquisition, Vocabulary helps users learn new words daily across various categories. The app features pronunciation guides, definitions, and review mini-games. Following a free trial, the service costs $4.99 per month or $59.99 per year on iOS and Android.

Seterra For geography enthusiasts, Seterra offers over 300 different games to test map skills, including world flags, oceans, and mountain ranges across the globe. The app is free and available on iOS and Android, allowing users to track progress and view leaderboards.

NYT Games The NYT Games app provides daily word, logic, and number puzzles, including Wordle, Connections, and Spelling Bee. While some games are free, unlimited access and archives cost $5.99 per month on iOS and Android.

Drops As an alternative to Duolingo, Drops uses visual mini-games to teach vocabulary in more than 45 languages through five-minute daily lessons. The free version offers limited daily access, while premium features cost $11.99 per month or $79.99 per year on iOS and Android.

Why it matters

Doomscrolling has become a widespread habit that researchers warn can negatively impact mental health and attention span, prompting a need for engaging, productive alternatives.