Research Notes · September 1, 2026 · 3 min read
Doomscrolling Is a Design Warning
A 2025 teen study links problematic social media habits with later doomscrolling and points toward feeds with clearer limits.
This Research Note is original Unscroll commentary on outside work. Source: Journal of Addictive Diseases.
Can one social media habit predict later doomscrolling?
Higher social media addiction scores predicted more doomscrolling two months later, making feed boundaries a meaningful design choice.
The Journal of Addictive Diseases published the study in 2025. Researchers followed 301 adolescents ages 12 to 19. They came from 20 cities in Turkey.
The study measured both behaviors twice, with two months between surveys. Higher initial social media addiction scores predicted higher doomscrolling scores later. Initial doomscrolling did not significantly predict later social media addiction scores.
This timing is useful, but it does not prove causation. The study relied on self-reports from one country. Its follow-up period was also short.
Why it matters
People often open a social app to check on friends. An endless stream can quietly turn that visit into a search for more alarming content.
The study did not compare feed designs. Still, its direction matters for product teams. A habit that already feels hard to control may lead into more doomscrolling later.
Readers can watch for that shift in purpose. Notice when catching up becomes searching for the next upsetting post. Set a stopping cue before opening the app. Keep everyday friend updates in a smaller, calmer space.
What Unscroll does differently
Unscroll starts with real friends and family. Posts appear in chronological order. The feed does not inject recommended news or strangers between their updates.
A chronological feed can reach an end. No ads means Unscroll does not earn more when a hard story keeps you scrolling. Casual posts do not compete for algorithmic reach.
There is also no public scoreboard for followers or likes. That keeps the focus on sharing, not winning attention.
These choices do not prevent doomscrolling or treat a mental health condition. They remove common reasons for a social app to prolong the session. Catch up, share something real, and leave when you are done.
A casual social app for real friends
Unscroll is live on iPhone. Post casually, keep up with your people, and skip ads, algorithms, and endless scroll.