Gen Z is using simple, intentional habits to take control of their digital well-being
Doomscrolling may feel automatic, but Gen Z is finding ways to interrupt the cycle. Through subtle shifts in routine and creative boundaries with their devices, many are transforming how they engage with news and social media. These strategies don’t rely on willpower alone. Instead, they offer structure, reduce anxiety triggers, and make space for moments that feel more grounded. The goal isn’t quitting phones altogether—it’s creating healthier, more mindful use.
1. Set app limits to create natural pauses in your screen habits.
App timers don’t just cut you off—they signal a shift. Many phones now offer built-in tools that track usage and lock apps after a chosen limit, creating a clear stopping point that doesn’t rely on willpower or mood swings.
Over time, that tiny friction—needing to override a limit—chips away at the automatic nature of scrolling. A closed Instagram app isn’t a scolding; it’s a pause. Even ten minutes off-screen can interrupt the loop and offer a clearer head, especially late at night or between classes.
2. Keep your phone out of reach during meals and bedtime.
Phones on kitchen tables or next to pillows don’t just tempt—they prime the brain. Visual proximity increases the likelihood of interaction, even if you didn’t plan to check anything.
A phone on the far side of the room changes the script. Breaks appear where scrolling once crept in unnoticed. Conversations stretch longer at dinner; sleep arrives faster without blue light. The old-school boundary of “out of sight, out of hand” still works—in the literal sense.
3. Replace scrolling time with short walks or light stretching breaks.
Movement crowds out the urge to scroll. A stretch on a balcony, a lap around the block, or standing up to pour water can interrupt the hand-to-phone reflex before it starts.
No specialized gear or gym session needed—just the bodily shift from seated to standing can slow mental momentum. When thumbs aren’t busy scrolling, they’re free to swing beside your legs or crack open a window. That opens space for moments to feel brief but anchored.
4. Use a dedicated alarm clock instead of your phone in bed.
Phone alarms feed the scroll spiral. Waking up or falling asleep to a glowing screen often means you leave behind dreams—or rest—before the day has truly started or ended.
Swapping the device for a basic alarm clock reclaims those boundary moments. No headlines, no alerts, just a soft-lit face and a singular task: waking or resting you. The shift feels small but potent, like switching from fluorescent glare to candlelight.
5. Curate your feed to follow accounts that uplift and inspire you.
A feed shaped by joy reshapes your mind. Following artists, rescuers, historians, or plant enthusiasts changes the emotional tone of what you see every day.
Eyes adjust to color and tone; minds do the same. Swapping ominous headlines for a rescued baby owl or a hand-thrown clay bowl doesn’t ignore the world—it filters how you engage with it. An inspiring scroll can still be a scroll—it just lifts rather than drains.
6. Schedule one tech-free hour each day to reset your mind.
An hour off from screens builds an internal quiet. Setting a time—it could be after lunch or before sunset—breaks the rhythm of constant refresh.
In that hour, books, sketchpads, music, or stillness have room to surface. The digital buzz, once background noise, retreats. Many who pause say they return with a lighter chest or a steadier pulse—not because the tech changed, but because they did, briefly, remember what it feels like without it.
7. Turn off nonessential push notifications to reduce digital noise.
Push notifications shave focus into fragments. When the screen flashes, even once, the mind splits its attention, often without full return.
Disabling nonessential alerts peels back that constant interference. A weather warning arrives—but likes and pings from every app stay silent. The phone stays still when you’re lost in a task or conversation, and that small stillness stacks into calm across the day.
8. Try journaling before sleep instead of checking your phone.
Pre-sleep journaling untangles thoughts before they knot. Just five minutes with pen and paper offers a soft ritual that slows the spin of the day.
In a quiet room, the scratch of ink mimics old bedtime rhythms. No screens, no scrolling—just pages that don’t alert or update. Writing grounds whatever flooded your mind an hour earlier, setting it gently aside until morning. Your thoughts shift from chaotic to contained.
9. Explore hobbies that engage your hands and quiet your thoughts.
Knitting needles, paints, sourdough starters—manual skills recalibrate scattered attention. Hobbies that use your hands leave no room for doomscrolling by design.
Fingers that chop herbs or fold paper aren’t free to scroll; they’re absorbed. Even light fiddling, like twisting wire or organizing buttons, gives the brain a rest from relentless updates. It’s not just about distraction—it’s about immersion in something tactile, finite, and human-scaled.
10. Use grayscale mode to make your screen feel less addictive.
Grayscale mode removes the shine from the screen. By muting the colors, phones feel less like candy and more like tools.
Without the vivid lures of red badges or bright filters, the urge to tap just because weakens. Instagram becomes grayscale squares; videos feel less bingeable. The device doesn’t disappear—but it fades slightly into the background, and that small quieting can shift usage from compulsion to choice.