You’re in bed, probably scrolling through countless TikTok videos as you try to distract your exhausted brain with fun content. But it’s not fun content. As you scroll, you begin to feel more anxious than when you first opened the app. Why? Wasn’t this supposed to be a fun distraction? Well, as it turns out, you’ve been doom-scrolling.
If you’ve never heard the term before, it simply means that you’re scrolling through social media and continuously engaging with negative content, like upsetting news reports or videos detailing celebrity controversies. It’s a difficult habit to break, especially when algorithms automatically push this upsetting content to viewers for higher engagement. TikTok is a frequent perpetrator of this.
How can I stop doom scrolling?
This habit isn’t easy to break, some people feel that they can’t stop watching for moral reasons. Shelby Deering interviewed psychotherapist Tess Brigham about this very topic. Brigham says “Being informed seems like a good way to control what’s happening around us,” but it unfortunately doesn’t feel that way to TikTok users in reality.
We spoke to a Central Michigan University student about their experience with doom scrolling, and they spoke at length about the poor impact it had on their mental health. They believed that numerous accounts bombarding their feed with the same bad news poorly impacted their mental health. In their words, “stuff becomes so common that it loses its meaning.”
Although being informed is a good thing, constantly swimming in upsetting and even tragic content does more harm than good.
If you want to be informed about what’s happening in the world but don’t want to feel empty after every TikTok session, it might be a good idea to follow some more positive content creators. We have a few suggestions:
1. @thatgoodnewsgirl
Also known as Jenn, @thatgoodnewsgirl makes frequent videos showing heartwarming stories about cute animals, small businesses, and charities. She’s made it her mission to provide a calming source of funny and sweet content for her viewers. Jen covers a ton of stories about cute animals, so if you’re looking for some fuzzy friend content, like a video she posted this month about a restaurant that has train models and cute cats, she’s worth a follow.
2. @goodablenews
This account showcases inspiring stories of heroism and charity. These videos range from celebrities doing charitable acts to everyday people helping one another. It’s a mix of wonderful stories that lift your spirits.
Some of the best videos from this year include Shaq buying a family a washer and dryer, a group of firefighters helping a 95-year-old man mow his lawn, and a zoo easter egg hunt for the animals. Also, for those that feel like a break from social media, Goodable has an app on iOS and Android. Perfect for a break from TikTok.
3. @sambentley
Similar to @thatgoodnewsgirl, this account is run by an individual. Sam shares news that focuses on sustainable living and innovative technology that is good for the planet. Some of his recent content includes a video about sustainable glasses made from coffee grounds and a newly invented pavement that stops flooding. If you’re an eco-conscious individual who is interested in sustainable technology, we highly recommend checking out his content.
4. @thehappybroadcast
The Happy Broadcast is dedicated to sharing good news from all over. They share good news from all over the world. They also have an Instagram account that briefly shares good news alongside cute graphics. In addition to this, they also have an app. They’re driven to deliver positivity in as many avenues as possible. They’re perfect for when you want to take a break from TikTok altogether.
5. @thegleefulglobe
The gleeful globe, much like the many other wonderful accounts on this list, provides uplifting news for its viewers. They focus on public news articles and share the biggest good news. A portion of the information that they’ve covered includes animals coming back from extinction and improving climate change conditions. They’re perfect for staying updated on the biggest news while still keeping your mental health intact.
These are only some of the many wonderful content creators out there that are trying to supply positive content, a lot of them, unfortunately, get buried underneath the negativity.
It’s important to remember that what you see online is only a fraction of what’s going on in the world, there’s just as much good as there is bad. It’s difficult to remember when all you’re seeing is the bad, so make sure that you’re taking care of yourself online. Your mental health is important too.
