The Effect of Doomscrolling on Attention Regulation Among Digital Adolescents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64268/jllm.v2i01.12Keywords:
Doomscrolling, Attention Regulation, Digital Adolescents, Social Media, Cognitive PsychologyAbstract
Background: The rapid expansion of algorithm-driven social media platforms has fundamentally transformed how adolescents consume digital information. One emerging phenomenon is doomscrolling, defined as the repetitive and excessive consumption of predominantly negative online content through endless scrolling interfaces. Although doomscrolling has been increasingly associated with anxiety, stress, and psychological well-being, empirical evidence examining its relationship with adolescents' attentional functioning remains limited. Given that adolescence is a critical developmental period for cognitive maturation, understanding how habitual exposure to negative digital information influences attention regulation has become increasingly important.
Aim: This study aimed to examine the effect of doomscrolling behavior on attention regulation among digital adolescents.
Method: A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed involving 200 digital adolescents aged 15–24 years who actively used social media platforms featuring algorithmically curated content. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire adapted from previous studies on doomscrolling behavior and attentional regulation. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, validity and reliability testing, classical assumption tests, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression.
Result: The simulated findings indicated that doomscrolling behavior had a statistically significant negative effect on attention regulation (β = –0.451, p < .001), explaining approximately 20.4% of the variance in attention regulation (R² = .204). Adolescents who reported higher levels of doomscrolling tended to demonstrate greater difficulties in sustaining attention, resisting distractions, regulating attentional focus, and shifting attention effectively across tasks.
Conclusion: This study provides theoretical and practical insights into how excessive exposure to negative algorithm-driven content may influence attentional functioning among digital adolescents. The findings contribute to the growing literature on digital media psychology by extending existing discussions beyond mental health outcomes toward cognitive self-regulation in everyday digital environments.
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