A 2023 study highlighted these effects, showing how internet addiction causes structural changes in the brain that influence behavior and cognitive abilities. Michoel Moshel, a researcher at Macquarie University and co-author of the study, explains that compulsive content consumption — popularly known as doomscrolling — “takes advantage of our brain’s natural tendency to seek out new things, especially when it comes to potentially harmful or alarming information, a trait that once helped us survive.”
Moshel explains that features like “infinite scrolling,” which are designed to keep users glued to their screens, can trap people — especially young individuals — in a cycle of content consumption for hours. “This can significantly impair attention and executive functions by overwhelming our focus and altering the way we perceive and respond to the world,” says the researcher.
Eduardo Fernández Jiménez, a clinical psychologist at Hospital La Paz in Madrid, explains that the brain activates different neural networks to manage various types of attention. He notes that excessive use of smartphones and the internet is causing issues with sustained attention, which “allows you to concentrate on the same task for a more or less extended period of time.” He adds: “It is the one that is linked to academic learning processes.”
The problem, says the researcher, is that social media users are constantly exposed to rapidly changing and variable stimuli — such as Instagram notifications, WhatsApp messages, or news alerts — that have addictive potential. This means users are constantly switching their focus, which undermines their ability to concentrate effectively.