How I stopped 'AI doomscrolling' using the Digital Wellbeing features Google forgot to include

I consume a lot of tech content every day, and I have been doing it for more than a decade. I never questioned whether I was consuming way more than I should.

That changed with the advent of generative AI.

I recently realized that what I was consuming was not only information about AI. A lot of it is repetitive, emotionally charged content disguised as something informative that I needed to know — what I would call AI Doomscrolling.

I know what triggered this thought. I started thinking about it after realizing I consume too much negative content about AI, which dominates a large part of tech coverage.

Quitting tech content altogether to prevent AI Doomscrolling didn’t make any sense, so I tried something smarter.

I initially thought Google’s Digital Wellbeing could fix this, but its tools weren’t strong enough. It’s a shame that I had to look somewhere else for this.

I use Digital Wellbeing features from StayFree and AppBlock apps to stop AI Doomscrolling because Google forgot to include them in its toolkit.

Here is how I use StayFree and AppBlock to stop AI Doomscrolling.

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How does StayFree help me stop AI Doomscrolling?

AI systems like recommendation algorithms work behind the scenes to bring you personalized content on social media.

It learns what attracts your attention on the internet and then doubles down on showing similar content. So, if I read or watch some content about the negative side of AI, it’ll keep pushing similar content.

It has become worse with the arrival of generative models, which have made it easier to create content on social media with a few prompts.

The volume of AI-generated content on social media has increased significantly, constantly manufacturing outrage and fear to achieve engagement.

StayFree helped me escape from this. Since I consume news on X, YouTube, and Instagram, StayFree’s in-app blocking capability is one of the tools that helps me come out of the loop.

Instead of completely limiting the use of these apps, the in-app blocking feature allows users to block specific parts of the app after using it for a while.

The in-app blocking in the StayFree app lets users block Shorts from YouTube and Reels from Instagram. It also allows users to set daily limits.

So, you can set the Shorts and Reels consumption to five minutes daily. When you reach this limit, you won’t be able to access any other short video content on Instagram and YouTube.

This won’t stop you from using the app. You’ll still be able to use your Instagram feed and watch videos on YouTube.

I have also blocked the Explore tab on X using the in-app blocking feature in the StayFree app.

How does the AppBlock app help me stop the menace?

The AppBlock app is slightly more advanced than the StayFree app, but it’s a paid app. However, you still get several useful Digital Wellbeing features if you are on the free tier.

I set a limit to how many times I can launch certain apps on my phone using the AppBlock app. This limits my urge to keep opening the X app and refreshing the For you tab.

If you are a paid user, you can set this launch limit to almost all the apps on your phone. I wanted to prevent AI Doomscrolling, so I put a limit only on those apps where I read or watch most of the negative news.

However, the Launch count feature alone isn’t enough to effectively stop the negative content. I also put a limit on how much time I spend on those apps.

The AppBlock app also allows users to block keywords in browser URLs. This gives you more granular control over what you want blocked.

So, if you don’t want to read about today’s sorry state of affairs in the political landscape, this is the one you need.

I added the word politics to the keyword section while setting up a schedule in the AppBlock app.

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As a free user, you can set unlimited schedules. Another major downside is that you can add only five applications in the free version.

However, I don’t mind any of these hurdles. Support for five apps is still two apps too many for what I need the app for.

AppBlock app costs $4.99 a month, or $29.99 a year. You can also buy a lifetime license by paying an upfront fee of $89.99.

I wish Google’s Digital Wellbeing had them

Digital Wellbeing is available as both an app and a setting on Android, depending on the handset you use.

This may make you feel like it’s powerful, but it can’t do much beyond setting up App timers and showing you daily usage.

It lacks the granular control needed to block specific types of content. With Google’s Digital Wellbeing, you either have everything or nothing.

This is where StayFree and the AppBlock apps shine. They helped me stop AI Doomscrolling, without putting a blanket ban on my use of those apps.

I wish something like this would exist in Digital Wellbeing in Android settings.