"Doomscrolling" isn't just a bad habit; it is a trillion-dollar business model. Tech giants often use "dark patterns"—psychological tricks borrowed from casino slot machines—to hijack your dopamine receptors and keep your eyes glued to the screen to sell more ads. While the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) has started to regulate content, a new front is opening up regarding the actual design of the software itself. Proponents argue this is the "tobacco moment" for Big Tech and products designed to be chemically addictive require strict regulation to protect public mental health. Opponents argue this is extreme regulatory overreach that treats citizens like lab rats, stifles innovation, and ignores the personal responsibility involved in simply putting the phone down.
Response rates from 32 European Union voters.
Trend of support over time for each answer from 32 European Union voters.
Loading data...
Loading chart...
Trend of how important this issue is for 32 European Union voters.
Loading data...
Loading chart...
Unique answers from European Union voters whose views went beyond the provided options.
Based on 32 responses to this question.
These results come from VOTA's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).
VOTA is non-partisan — we don't advocate for any party, candidate, or position. We report what the public tells us.
Writing about this issue? Use the live data and link back to the full results.
