Five Phone Apps Offer Alternatives to Doomscrolling, From Ebooks to Drawing
Five phone apps, including Finch, Libby and Radio Garden, aim to replace aimless social media scrolling with habits, reading, drawing or radio. A survey found 64% of Americans say they doomscroll, and researchers link the habit to poorer mental health and sleep.
Five phone apps, Finch, Libby, Dudel Draw, Radio Garden and Elevate, offer ways to swap endless doomscrolling for something more useful, from reading library ebooks to drawing a daily shape. Most are free to download.
Doomscrolling means spending excessive time consuming content on social media. A survey from last year found that 64% of Americans say they do it.
Why the habit matters
Researchers have warned that doomscrolling can harm mental health and attention span. Long scrolling sessions can lead to brain fatigue, difficulty focusing and disrupted sleep.
If much of the content is negative or stressful, it can leave people feeling disheartened, anxious and emotionally drained.
The apps below are meant for spare minutes, when the urge to scroll hits. Reading a book or going for a walk remains the simpler fix.
The five apps
Finch is a self-care pet app built around healthy habits. Users look after a virtual pet by finishing small daily goals, such as drinking enough water, going on a walk or practicing mindfulness. They can also write about their day, do a breathing exercise or send good vibes to a friend. The more self-care a user does, the more the pet thrives. Finch is free on iOS and Android.
Libby connects users to their local public library's digital collection of ebooks, audiobooks and magazines. A library card is all it takes to borrow thousands of titles. It suits a commute or a wait at the doctor's office. Libby is free on iOS and Android.
Dudel Draw gives users a random shape each day to turn into a drawing. The shapes range from basic geometric forms to more complex, abstract designs. Friends can compare their creations, a change from trading endless TikToks or Instagram Reels. Dudel Draw is free on iOS.
Radio Garden lets people listen to more than 25,000 live radio stations worldwide. Green dots mark cities and towns on the screen, and tapping one plays stations broadcasting from that place. Users can save favorites or search by station, country or place.
The app is free. An ad-free premium plan costs $2.99 per month, and the app runs on iOS and Android.
Elevate targets focus, memory, reading, math skills and other cognitive abilities. It includes more than 40 games that train everyday skills, from reading faster to comparing prices more efficiently. Users can track training streaks and compare their performance over time.
