The reason for opening a smartphone is usually something small. Checking the time, replying to a message, checking the weather, or clearing notifications. Yet, before you know it, you're caught up in scandals involving unknown celebrities, anger-inducing news, endless short videos, someone's strong words, and recommended posts that keep flowing. It's not that you wanted to see them, nor do they make you feel better. Still, your fingers just won't stop.

This state is called "doomscrolling." It's the behavior of endlessly scrolling through bad news, anxiety-inducing posts, and highly stimulating content. An article from TechCrunch doesn't simply dismiss this habit as "smartphone addiction" but poses a more realistic question: If it's hard to completely let go of your smartphone, what should you open instead?

For many people, a smartphone is a work tool, a means of communication, a map, a wallet, and a way to kill time. Simply deciding "I won't look at my smartphone from today" is hard to maintain. The problem isn't the smartphone itself but the fact that the easiest and most stimulating option when you open it is the endless feed of social media and short videos. Therefore, the key to combating doomscrolling might not be to make the smartphone the enemy but to change the first app you open.

The appeal of the apps introduced by TechCrunch lies precisely in this. It's not about eliminating smartphone time but changing the quality of that time. Instead of passively absorbing what flows in, you move your hands, listen, think, remember, solve, and play. Even just a few minutes can change the direction of your actions.

For example, Dudel Draw is an app that makes the entry point to creation extremely small. Every day, a random shape is presented, and you draw based on it. You don't need to create a masterpiece or draw well. Just look at the given shape and think, "What does this look like?" and move your hand. On social media feeds, users are basically passive, selecting and reacting to what flows in and then moving on to the next. An app like Dudel Draw slightly reverses that stance, from being a viewer to being a creator. It's a small change, but it significantly affects your mood.

In considering alternative apps in this direction in Japan, ibisPaint is a strong candidate. While not as specialized in "daily prompts" as Dudel Draw, it provides a comprehensive environment for drawing on smartphones or tablets, usable for everything from doodling to illustration creation. If used as a countermeasure against doomscrolling, the key is not to seek too much perfection. Just draw a line for five minutes, sketch easily using a photo as a base, or just color. Before looking at social media, draw one rough sketch. With such usage, the smartphone changes from a "consumption screen" to a "creation screen."

Radio Garden is also symbolic as an alternative to doomscrolling. You can select radio stations from around the world through a globe-like interface and listen to broadcasts from distant cities. While social media is also a tool for "connecting with the world," the world you see there is heavily edited by algorithms. Posts that provoke anger or anxiety, conflicts, and topics that easily go viral tend to be at the forefront. On the other hand, with Radio Garden, music, news, voices, and languages from unknown cities flow in, making the connection with the world a bit more peaceful.

As an alternative in Japan, radiko is straightforward. It allows you to listen to domestic radio programs and podcasts on your smartphone, making it easy to create a habit of streaming audio content instead of browsing social media timelines. The time-free function is particularly convenient, allowing you to enjoy "missed programs" later. Opening social media captures your eyes and fingers, but with radio, you can use it while walking, tidying up, or commuting. Not having to stare at a screen continuously itself becomes a countermeasure against doomscrolling.

Elevate is introduced as an app equipped with mini-games to train memory, concentration, comprehension, and calculation. Of course, there's no need to expect excessive effects from such cognitive training apps. However, the important point is replacing the time spent being swept away by feeds with time spent tackling short tasks. Achieve something, get a little better than yesterday, create a streak. While using the same habit-forming mechanisms as social media, there is room to transform mere attention consumption into a sense of achievement.

For a similar usage in Japan, short-time brain training apps like "Mainichi Noutore" become candidates. Designed to be tackled in just a few minutes a day, they fit easily into waiting times for trains or a few minutes before bed. The important thing is not to get too caught up in the brain training scores themselves. When considering it as an alternative to doomscrolling, the goal isn't just to "get smarter." It's about stepping away from the endless flow of information and focusing on one small task. That switch becomes valuable.

Vocabulary is an app for learning English words and vocabulary daily. By checking the meanings, example sentences, and pronunciations of words, you can increase your vocabulary in a short time. In Japan, mikan is quite compatible for the same purpose. Specializing in English word learning, it can be progressed at a quick pace, making it easy to use as a buffer before opening social media. For example, decide to "learn just 10 words before opening X" or "do just one set before bed." Even this small change can turn the time spent scrolling with nothing to show for it into time that builds up a little.

Drops is introduced as an app for learning foreign language words and expressions through visual mini-games. In Japan, Duolingo is the most widely recommended alternative. It supports multiple languages, not just English, and can be progressed with short lessons, making it suitable for "just a few minutes of learning." Duolingo's strong mechanisms for continuous learning and notifications can be motivating for some, while pressuring others. When using it as a countermeasure against doomscrolling, it's easier to continue with a light usage like "just one question before going to social media" rather than focusing on maintaining a streak.

Seterra is an app where you can learn maps, flags, seas, and mountain ranges through geography quizzes. For those who like geography, it's much more enjoyable to immerse in than an endless feed. As a Japanese alternative, "Asobide Manaberu Nihon Chizu Puzzle" can be mentioned. It's an educational game where you can learn the positions and names of prefectures in a jigsaw puzzle-like manner. Even those with a weak grasp of the Japanese map can easily retain knowledge by approaching it as a game. If you want to expand to world geography, GeoGuessr is also a candidate. It's a game where you deduce your current location using street view-like scenery, signs, buildings, and natural environments, employing a different kind of observational skill than social media.

NYT Games is an app where you can enjoy daily updated word and logic games like crosswords, Wordle, Connections, and Spelling Bee. The big difference from doomscrolling is that there is an "end." Social media feeds have no clear endpoint. The next post, the next video, and the next recommendation are displayed. Because there is no end, you lose track of when to stop. On the other hand, puzzles and quizzes have a closure. Solve today's problem, finish one round, see the score. If it doesn't go well, try again tomorrow. This closed experience creates boundaries for smartphone use.

As alternatives that are easy to play in Japanese, Sudoku apps, Japanese crossword apps, and short-time puzzle apps become candidates. However, apps with prize or point collection elements require caution. If rewards and entries are too prominent, you might end up opening the app continuously in a different form. When using it as a countermeasure against doomscrolling, it's better to choose apps where you can create your own boundaries, like "finish after solving one question" or "just one puzzle a day," rather than focusing on prizes or points.

Looking at reactions on social media, this article is received more practically with comments like "I understand," "I want to try it," and "such alternatives are needed," rather than causing a big uproar or explosive debate. On LinkedIn, there were comments from people who like trying other apps to balance their lives and reactions from those who favor Elevate. There was also a reaction from someone who created a prototype to increase reading time and reduce scrolling, expanding the discussion beyond a mere app introduction to "how would I solve it myself?"

TechCrunch also shared the article on X, but the scale of reactions observed was limited. This is likely because the topic of doomscrolling countermeasures is not a flashy news item but a theme of gradual lifestyle improvement. More importantly, by repeatedly sharing such articles, the state of "continuously watching without realizing" gets a name, making it easier to become aware of it. In the Japanese language sphere, terms like "smartphone addiction," "SNS fatigue," and "information fatigue" are spreading, but "doomscrolling" is not yet common. Having a term makes it easier to explain what you're struggling with.

What's important here is not to overly simplify the division between "good apps" and "bad apps." Even learning apps, puzzle apps, and radio apps can cause a different kind of fatigue if there are too many notifications, if you're chased by rankings or streaks, or if the monetization pathways are excessively strong. Doomscrolling countermeasures are not about "deleting SNS and installing another app to complete the task." It's important to observe how your mood and concentration change after using them.

The apps introduced and the Japanese alternatives have several commonalities. They can be started in a short time. They involve moving your hands or thinking rather than being passive. They make it easy to create an end or boundary. They appeal to curiosity and a sense of achievement rather than anger or anxiety. These four points become criteria when choosing alternative apps to doomscrolling.

If you're going to practice, it's good to first change the prime spot on your home screen. Move SNS apps to the back of a folder and place just one alternative app instead. If you're drawing, use ibisPaint; if switching to audio, use radiko; for English vocabulary, use mikan; for language learning, use Duolingo; for geography, use Asobide Manaberu Nihon Chizu Puzzle or GeoGuessr; for brain exercises, use Mainichi Noutore or Sudoku apps. What's important is not perfect habit formation. It's ensuring that when you unconsciously open your smartphone next time, an option other than the usual SNS catches your eye.

Another effective strategy is to decide on a "bedtime-specific alternative app." SNS before bed not only steals time but also stirs emotions and can affect sleep. Therefore, at night, replace SNS with radio, short language lessons, light puzzles, or vocabulary learning. Of course, the best is to keep the smartphone away from the bedroom, but for those who find that difficult, replacing it with less harmful actions is still progress.

What the TechCrunch article suggests is not to make the relationship with smartphones a binary choice of "cut it off or be consumed." Even for those who can't completely quit SNS, there's no need to lose an hour each time. Even for those who want to see the news, there's no need to keep sinking into feeds of anger and anxiety. Smartphones can also be used to listen to world radio, learn unknown words, study maps, draw, and solve puzzles.

The fear of doomscrolling lies in the fact that while the person feels they are "choosing for themselves," in reality, their options are narrowing. The app you open is decided, the content you see is decided, and even how your emotions are moved is decided. Creating small branches in that flow. The apps introduced this time and the Japanese alternatives can be said to be tools for that.

Every time you open your smartphone, the world can become a little darker or a little broader. Which way it turns may change with the icon you touch first.

Summary of Japanese Alternative Apps

Alternative candidate for Dudel Draw: ibisPaint
Usable for everything from short doodles to full-scale illustration creation. Suitable as a creative alternative.

Alternative candidate for Radio Garden: radiko
Allows listening to domestic radio and podcasts. Easy to use as an alternative that doesn't require continuous screen viewing.

Alternative candidate for Elevate: Mainichi Noutore
With short brain training and mini-games, you can shift from infinite scrolling to tasks with a clear end.

Alternative candidate for Vocabulary: mikan
Strong in English word learning and easy to progress in a short time. Easy to use as a buffer before opening SNS.

Alternative candidate for Seterra: Asobide Manaberu Nihon Chizu Puzzle, GeoGuessr
For Japanese maps, the former is suitable, and for enjoying world geography or observation games, the latter fits.

Alternative candidate for NYT Games: Sudoku apps, Japanese crossword apps
Easy to create boundaries like "finish after solving one question." However, be cautious of apps with strong prize or point collection elements.

Alternative candidate for Drops: Duolingo, mikan
For multilingual learning, Duolingo is easy to use, and for English vocabulary, mikan is suitable.

Source URL

Referencing TechCrunch. Overview, pricing, supported OS, and the overall theme of Dudel Draw, Radio Garden, Elevate, Vocabulary, Seterra, NYT Games, and Drops introduced as countermeasures against doomscrolling.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/25/apps-to-distract-you-from-the-endless-cycle-of-doomscrolling/

Official radiko website. Confirmed as an easy-to-use radio alternative app in Japan, including radio, podcasts, and time-free functions.
https://radiko.jp/

Official ibisPaint website and App Store information. Confirmed as a creative and drawing alternative app for Japan, with iOS and Android support, brushes, materials, and smartphone drawing functions.
https://ibispaint.com/

Official mikan website. Confirmed as an English word and vocabulary learning app for Japan, with short-time learning and English learning functions.
https://mikan.com/

Official Duolingo Japanese website. Confirmed as a short-time language learning app with bite-sized lesson design available for free.
https://ja.duolingo.com/

Official website and app store information for Asobide Manaberu Nihon Chizu Puzzle. Confirmed as a Japanese alternative to Seterra, allowing learning of prefectures and capitals in a jigsaw puzzle-like manner.
https://digital-gene.com/app_jpmappuzzle.php

Official GeoGuessr website and App Store information. Confirmed as an alternative app for learning world geography as a deduction game, with iOS and Android support and location deduction game content.
https://www.geoguessr.com/ja/

App store information for Mainichi Noutore. Confirmed as a Japanese alternative to Elevate, for short-time brain training and mini-game purposes.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.nullhouse.braintraining

App store information for Nanpure de Kensho. Confirmed as a puzzle alternative candidate to NYT Games, with Sudoku, difficulty levels, daily added problems, and prize elements.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=numberplace.ohte

TechCrunch's LinkedIn post. Confirmed positive comments about Elevate and reactions about creating a prototype to increase reading time and reduce scrolling as social media reactions.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/techcrunch_apps-to-distract-you-from-the-endless-cycle-activity-744007966128967270