Research The Studies Pile Up — Doomscrolling, Depression & the Engagement Machine

The harm Haugen exposed inside one company is mirrored across a growing independent literature. Peer-reviewed work links heavy use of low-quality, algorithmically-fed content ("doomscrolling," the basis of Oxford's 2024 word of the year "brain rot") to declines in attention, memory, sleep and mood, especially in adolescents. The pattern critics highlight is structural: engagement-ranking systems are optimised to maximise time-on-platform, and distressing or outrage-inducing content holds attention well — so the incentive runs against wellbeing. The recurring complaint is not that evidence is absent but that it is deprioritised by the platforms best placed to act on it.