While the concept of doomscrolling isn’t new, the kind of content you’re dealing with is. As the news gets more and more dire, it’s tempting to keep watching videos that say they’re keeping you informed. However, in the age of generative AI, it’s time to stop and ask yourself how much of what you’re seeing is real. Statistics show that 79 percent of content creators use AI, and the same is true for about 90 percent of businesses. Almost 56 percent of the content posted on TikTok is AI-generated, and the experts predict that this will only increase. To make things more interesting, companies and content creators use AI to personalize the videos that they show to each person. Here’s how that affects the news and what you see on your social media pages.
A lot of times, when people think about generative AI, they immediately visualize fun videos or manipulated photos that are all the rage on social media. AI is so much more. Since the technology can pull in massive amounts of data, it has been used by nefarious people to create an alarming number of articles, news reports, images, and videos that can be passed off as fact.
In 2025 alone, multiple reputable news outlets published or posted information later found to be AI-generated. These outlets typically removed the posts and then issued an apology for the error. Even journalists have been caught using generative AI to help with writing their articles, when others pointed out that certain points didn’t quite make sense.
To complicate matters further, several news outlets have either published articles by journalists who didn’t actually exist or published articles that quote studies that have been completely fabricated. All this at a time when an increasing number of people say that once they learn news sources are using AI-generated content, they lose trust in them.
And that only considers the usual news sources. When you look at social media, the water is even murkier. Millions of people get their news from social media platforms, but these spaces have been overrun with AI-generated content. Companies like Meta have even deployed fully AI-generated profiles to interact with users as if they were real people. There is a growing number of AI influencers who share videos generated entirely by AI.
When these bots share videos, articles, or images that are fake, there are a few ways to determine that they aren’t the real deal. Worse yet, these bots are programmed to target the people who interact with their content. If you keep watching, sharing, or commenting on these reports because you think they’re real, they’ll keep showing them to you.
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In the beginning, you may have read that it was easy to tell when images or videos were generated by AI. Some of the signs people used to talk about include extra fingers, hands bent at a weird angle, floating heads, misaligned ears, perfectly symmetrical faces, misspelled text or text that doesn’t make sense, and items that just didn’t belong in the scene. However, as AI has learned from its mistakes, it’s become much harder to tell when something is fake.
The good news is that generative AI still isn’t perfect, and you can often tell if something isn’t real based on the context. If someone appears to be too perfectly groomed, that may be a sign that something is wrong. For example, is the person in the video wearing perfect makeup or has a neat hairstyle when they should be sweating or a little less put-together?
You can look at their skin to see if it looks airbrushed. Is there a complete absence of wrinkles that even makeup wouldn’t achieve? Their teeth can also be an indication that something is amiss, because AI-generated smiles can lack the varying imperfections people have. The same is true of clothing. Your clothes typically wrinkle or crease naturally as you move. With AI, however, those may not be there.
The issues don’t just show up in videos or images of people. When looking at content that includes nature or buildings, AI-generated posts may not have shadows in the right place, buildings that point in the wrong direction, water that moves in unnatural ways, lines that don’t meet at a natural angle, or an inconsistent reflection.
Of course, this all seems like a lot of work to do on every single picture or video that pops onto your feed. But it may help to think about the effect this content can have on you when you consume it all the time. There are also consequences to sharing incorrect information with those who follow you online. If you’re not up to all that analysis, though, another simple way to vet what you’re seeing is to do an Internet search for confirmation.
In this case, you can look for alternative angles of the content that you saw. In this technological age, it’s unlikely that there’s only one perspective.
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As you may expect, doomscrolling has the most negative effect on your mental health. Consuming all that news–even if it’s not true–can leave you feeling anxious, tense, or depressed. You can also get a little addicted to doomscrolling, so you’ll find yourself getting antsy if you haven’t checked your social media for an extensive period. You end up stuck in a loop where checking the news makes you feel bad, but you also feel like you’re missing something important if you don’t.
Although the effects are mostly mental, that doesn’t mean doomscrolling can’t affect your body, too. You may have trouble sleeping because of growing anxiety and develop gastrointestinal issues. Some people have neck pain based on their poor posture while doomscrolling, along with eye strain from spending too much time on an electronic device. Anxiety from doomscrolling can also lead to tension headaches, nausea, high blood pressure, and reduced appetite.
Things happen fast nowadays, and the news can be more accessible than ever before. There are so many breaking news reports and updates that it’s tempting to sign up for push notifications so you won’t miss anything. When you do that, though, you’re more likely to spike your anxiety, too. You’re better off turning off these notifications in your phone’s settings and only checking the news at set times each day.
The only exception to this would be if there’s an emergency in your area that you need to check, such as a weather anomaly. In that case, it would be good to sign up for notifications specific to that emergency.
It also helps to limit your time on social media. According to the experts, you shouldn’t check any platform before bed or just as you wake up. The first one can interfere with your sleep, while the latter can be a terrible way to start your day. If using social media is essential to your daily tasks or business, consider focusing on the tasks you need to complete, then moving on to something else.
As mentioned before, the AI-based algorithms that social media platforms usually use learn from what you keep watching. If you keep watching the fake but sensational videos, they’ll only keep showing more of them to you. Your best defense against that is to completely reset your algorithm. Go out of your way to watch content that’s better for your mental health. If a shocking video pops up in your feed, scroll past it. It doesn’t take long for the algorithm to realize where you’re spending your time. As you come across profiles that share fake content, block them.
Although reputable news sources can fall victim to AI-generated content, it’s less likely, and they usually admit when it’s happened. That’s helpful for you to know that you’re seeing accurate information. Feel free to follow these sources and get your updates from them when you’re checking the news.
Finally, you have to make the effort to balance the negative news that you’re seeing. Even if you limit your time on social media, you can’t help it if bad things are happening in the world. That’s why it’s good to cultivate habits and hobbies that make you happy. That can mean spending time with friends or loved ones, exploring new hobbies, spending time in nature, exercising, gardening, going to the movies, or meditating. It’s essential that you don’t stay focused on events you can’t change.
Even though most people know that doomscrolling can be bad for their health, it’s not as easy to avoid when it’s the news. Fortunately, it’s possible to stay informed without falling down a rabbit hole of despair. If you know how to identify accurate news reports and how to safely access information, you’ll be better off.
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