Health & Wellness

Doomscroll Study: Stop Scrolling and Start Running

February 2, 2026 | 4 min. read By Brooks Staff

Have you ever struggled to go for a run, decided to have a quick look at Strava for motivation, and found yourself still scrolling an hour later? Or given yourself five minutes to look at Instagram… but that turned into a whole evening of doomscrolling? You’re not alone. We’ve all been there and now we have the research to prove that a lot of us are spending time on our phones when we could be out running instead.

What Does the Research Say?

Running is a hugely popular activity across Europe. In the UK, over 40% of runners say that they spend time running each week. 1 in 10 of this group spend over an hour on this activity every week. There are even more runners in Germany, with 65% of adults saying they spend time running each week, with a quarter running for two hours per week. And in France, 39% of adults run each week.

Great news, right? We’re a continent of enthusiastic runners.

But here's where the picture gets complicated. Our research looked at screen time statistics, and the results found that we actually spend more time scrolling than moving each week.

Across the surveyed European markets, an average of 51% of runners spend more than two hours every day scrolling on their phones.

Social media: The Distraction is Real

If runners are spending over two hours a day scrolling on social media, that adds up to a huge amount of time lost each week. More specifically, over 14 hours. And in fact, runners are finding that social media isn’t just a time sink; it can actually stop them from running completely.

But perhaps the most telling is runners’ own admissions that social media derails their running, despite their best intentions. Across the surveyed European markets, an average of 19% of 18–34-year-old runners say a “quick scroll” before running led to a missed workout.

The Power of Denial

Although we’re spending a lot of time doomscrolling, some of us are in denial about just how much time social media is taking up. This is particularly concerning, given that running has proven mental health benefits, while excessive scrolling can leave us feeling drained and unmotivated.

In the UK, over a quarter of runners in the 18-34 age group agreed with the statement “I feel physically drained or unmotivated to run after prolonged use of my phone.” However, a sizable number of runners say that “I’d prefer not to know my screen time.” The numbers are slightly lower in Germany, where 20% of this age group of runners agree “I feel physically drained or unmotivated to run after prolonged use of my phone”, and in France, 22% of runners in this group agree with the same statement.

But there’s also a sense of denial among some runners in France, with 20% of adult runners saying they’d prefer not to know their screen time, and that figure is even higher for runners within the latter half of that age group (25-34), with 32% agreeing with the statement.

Swapping Screens for Running Shoes

Could we swap all that phone time for time on the road, track or trails instead? We asked runners of all ages, and for most, it was a resounding “no”.

In the UK, 67% said “it would be a serious challenge” or “I’d fail” when asked if they could run for the same amount of time each day as they spend on their phone. The results are similar in Germany, where 58% said “it would be a serious challenge”, and in France, where 61% said “it would be a serious challenge” or “I’d fail”.

These responses just go to show how much time we all spend on our phones. The numbers don't lie. But they also don’t have to be the end of the story. Unlike bad weather, lack of daylight, or injury, our phone addiction is something that’s entirely within our control. It starts with awareness. And once we know how much time we spend doomscrolling, we can start chipping that number down, making small choices to build a habit that serves us rather than drains us. The question isn’t whether we have time to run. The data shows that we clearly do. So, the real question is: how to reduce screen time and get running motivation?

If you’re ready to reclaim your time, build mental strength and turn screen time into running time, let’s stop the scroll together.