SAN ANTONIO – We do it while we’re in bed, in line, or in a waiting room — the mindless scrolling of our social media accounts that makes hours pass by. It’s called doomscrolling.
Pediatrician Grizelda Anguiano said doomscrolling is taking a toll on our mental health and negatively impacting children.
“That stress that happens when we’re looking — maybe when we first wake up in the morning or when we have those 10 seconds — that stress hormone actually lasts 12 hours or more,” Anguiano said about how what we consume on our social media feeds impact us all day. “It’s interrupting our sleep, it’s interrupting our learning, our interactions with everybody. So it’s so much bigger than we think.”
Anguiano advises families to be mindful of what’s happening and take steps to break the cycle. She sets timers at home to limit how much time her family spends on their phones, helping them refocus how they spend their time.
“And practicing to say, you know, I’m going to choose to play or I’m going to choose to interact. And it’s tough. It’s tough because, you know, the longer you’ve been doing it and those habits are tough,” Anguiano said. “I think we need to make time to just connect with our kids and not just send them outside, you know, and they’re not wanting to go, but go outside with them because it’s really good for us, too.”
Taking 10-15 minutes to play a board game with children or teens can strengthen their coping skills, which they will need as they grow up.
“Sometimes it’s like, ‘Can we work on this together?’” Anguiano said. “‘It’s OK if we mess up, and I’m here with you, and we can work on it together.’ This is a powerful one.”
Anguiano said it’s all about being aware of how much time you’re spending on your phone and wanting to change that bad habit.
“It’s connection. Connect with the kids. They want to connect. We want to connect with others,” she said.