Doom-Scrolling is Dangerous
An international study has identified a link between screen time, suicide, and self-harm in adolescents.
The research team, led by Mater Research Institute’s Dr Kerri Gillespie, Dr Matthew Morgan from Australian Catholic University and QUT’s Professor Selena Bartlett, found frequent screen use – particularly evening doom scrolling – was significantly associated with increased risk of suicidal behaviour and self-injury.
Publication of the findings in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry came as Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg appeared in a landmark trial to answer questions over whether the social media giant intentionally addicted children to its platforms.
Who Is Most at Risk?
Analysis of 61 eligible studies comprising more than 338,472 participants aged up to 18, from 16 countries, highlighted the dangers of digital addiction.
One study found 13.6 per cent of those who reported frequent smartphone use had nearly three times the rate of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) as rare users.
Another project found almost one-in-10 of participants whose daily screen time – including television, gaming and online chat – exceeded 10 hours had reported a suicide attempt.
“The odds of young people attempting suicide or self-harm are horrifyingly common,” Dr Morgan said of the project, which also included researchers from the University of Queensland, Griffith University and Blacktown Hospital.
“It could be someone in your football or cricket team.”
Cause and Effect
Key factors in many of the studies included insomnia, depression, anxiety and loneliness.
Some gender disparities emerged, with females reporting higher NSSI and suicidality, and males showing higher rates of digital addiction.
The systematic review raised further questions about the intersection of screen use and mental health.
“We know nothing good comes from scrolling until 2 am,” said Dr Morgan, a senior lecturer in criminology at ACU’s Thomas More Law School.
“The next step will be to investigate causality: does excessive screen use feed suicidality or does poor mental health drive lonely people to reach for a smartphone?”
If you or anyone you know needs immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or via lifeline.org.au.
___
Republished with thanks to The Catholic Weekly. Image courtesy of Adobe.
One Comment
Leave A Comment
Recent Articles:
16 September 2026
4.7 MINS
Sall Grover is leaving Australia, but not the fight. Following the High Court's refusal to hear her appeal in Giggle v. Tickle, Grover declared she will not call a man a woman — whatever the law says. She won't stop fighting until the law changes.
16 September 2026
3.8 MINS
Adelaide-based pop artist LILLI has been named Australian Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2026 People’s Choice Awards, capping a landmark year of chart success, her debut album Anthropology and songwriting work in Nashville. The South Australian Christian artist was one of three finalists represented by Adelaide independent label Australian Christian Records.
16 September 2026
6.7 MINS
When Dr Paul Tyson hand-delivered a letter opposing the Digital Duty of Care bill to his local MP's office, he expected a brief exchange. Instead, he left feeling patronised, unheard, and more alarmed than ever.
16 September 2026
3.2 MINS
Before it was ‘Dignity in Dying’, the euthanasia lobby was founded by a medical eugenicist who called the sick a “useless burden”. That dark history didn't disappear — it was just rebranded.
16 September 2026
2.2 MINS
Thirty-seven years after the Berlin Wall fell, socialism is gaining popularity among Americans with no memory of life behind the Iron Curtain. History, however, tells a very different story.
15 September 2026
5.1 MINS
Joshua Broome was a porn star with fame, money, and a drug overdose planned. Trapped in deep shame and guilt, he found forgiveness and his true identity in Jesus Christ, and is now a husband, father, author and pastor.
15 September 2026
3.2 MINS
Many Christians avoid J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series due to a perceived conflict between its themes and Biblical Christianity. Yet according to the author of a recent biography of J. K. Rowling, there is much more to the picture.
So sad – and demonic.
Jesus is the answer for this young generation.