Doomscrolling could be this century's next public health crisis
The battle for human attention may become one of the defining social and public health challenges of the 21st century, according to CQUniversity Head of Educational Neuroscience Professor Ken Purnell.
In a new paper examining the rise of doomscrolling, Professor Purnell argues that society has focused too heavily on screen time and not enough on what is being lost as digital platforms increasingly compete for people's attention.
His paper, The Real Cost of Doomscrolling: How Endless Scrolling Displaces Attention, Sleep and Human Connection, suggests the greatest cost of endless scrolling is not measured in hours spent online but in the gradual erosion of sleep, relationships, focus and meaningful engagement with everyday life.
"As technologies become increasingly sophisticated at capturing attention, society faces a challenge that is not primarily technological but deeply human," Professor Purnell said.
"The battle for attention may become one of the defining social and public health challenges of the 21st century."
Professor Purnell said attention was one of the most valuable resources people possessed, yet it was increasingly under pressure from digital environments designed to maximise engagement.
"Many people think doomscrolling steals their time. Evidence suggests it may also be stealing their sleep," he said.
"Sleep is fundamental to learning, emotional regulation, decision-making, memory and mental health, yet many people finish their day immersed in streams of emotionally stimulating content."
But Professor Purnell said the issue extended far beyond sleep disruption.
"The true cost of doomscrolling is measured in lost moments of human attention," he said.
"Every hour spent scrolling an endless feed is an hour not spent having a conversation with a partner, spending time with children or grandchildren, exercising, reading, reflecting or simply noticing the world around us."
The paper examines how digital platforms use features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay and personalised recommendations to keep users engaged by appealing to human attraction to novelty, emotion and uncertainty.
"The problem is not that people lack self-control. The problem is that many digital environments remove the moments when self-control is most easily exercised," Professor Purnell said.
"Infinite scrolling removes the natural stopping points that once encouraged people to pause and decide whether to continue.
"In many ways, it has turned information into a slot machine for attention."
While stressing that technology itself is not the enemy, Professor Purnell said Australians should be more intentional about how they use it.
"The challenge is not to reject technology but to ensure it serves human flourishing rather than constantly competing for our attention."
