Young Users Sacrifice Sleep to Doomscrolling, New Poll Shows

The report, titled Informed, Inspired, and Exhausted, highlights that 88% of young people participate in doomscrolling, with 32% doing so multiple times daily. While the habit carries a heavy emotional toll—leaving 60% of respondents feeling anxious or overwhelmed—many users insist that the practice is their primary method for staying informed and motivated to engage in social advocacy.

This data arrives as Meta faces a landmark settlement with 47 states and the District of Columbia, mandating new restrictions like overnight curfews and time limits on Instagram and Facebook. Mike Parent, principal researcher at Hopelab, argues that while these measures acknowledge the role of platform design, they currently rely too heavily on parental controls rather than systemic changes. Advocates like college student Abhinav Anne emphasize that true safety requires giving young people a voice in product development, rather than treating their protection as an afterthought. Researchers suggest that instead of total disconnection, users should pivot toward positive content or structured information gathering to mitigate the damage to their sleep cycles.