16.5% of respondents are classified as “having severely problematic news consumption”
“Problematic news consumption” — which experts have likened to addiction — is linked to both poor mental well being as well as physical health, researchers have found.
According to the study, published Wednesday by the journal for Health Communications, results “show greater mental and physical ill-being among those with higher levels of problematic news consumption compared to those with lower levels.”
The study identifies problematic news consumption as “emerging from a constant state of high alert and as being indulged to alleviate emotional distress” with the understanding that media consumption might “bring relief from obsessive thoughts.” Some scholars classify problematic media behaviors and consumption as a form of addiction, while others note that, unlike other forms of addiction, “media addictions” rarely lead to “severe life consequences.”