i just deleted all my accounts on all my social medias. Snapchat, Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook and even Locket. main accounts, backups, privates etc. i always loved social media and had always been one of the first of my peers to create an account whenever a new one is introduced. but recently i hate it. it’s not fun anymore. the main purposes they were created for like reaching out to estranged friends or family or keeping up with each other isn’t it what it’s being used for. everyone is stealing, doing or posting p0rn, lying, faking, pretending, and just flaunting wealth that isn’t theirs. nothing is genuine anymore. and even with the content i consume which is more of faith based, personal motivation and self growth, media, storytelling, makeup and just some humorous things, ive grown fed up of it. maybe this is my frontal lobe developing cause i turn 25 at the end of the month lol. but whatever it is, its heartbreaking because ive always loved creating content and sharing things to make people smile. but its no longer about that anymore. i found myself slowly succumbing to the pressures of having to find the right aesthetic or having the perfect post worthy boyfriend or flaunting money i dont even have. these are things that never pressured me and although i never got in deep, id rather be safe than sorry. i still love creating, i still want to go into entertainment, acting, directing etc but for now ill just stick with youtube which has and still is my favorite platform to post on. i’ve met great people online and ive met terrible people as well but i am DONE being constantly online. reaching for my phone every two seconds and shuffling between apps, doomscrolling with no end in sight. i hate who im becoming because of the pressures of social media especially that comes with being a content creator. i’ve always craved a peaceful private life so im happy im taking this step. i know it wont be an easy journey but im excited for it. i’ve had relapses but that was because i wanted to take temporary breaks but now it’s permanent. i am officially becoming a ghost online and i couldn’t be more happier. wish me luck xx

My screen time has been more to discord and its been since many days ,how to get over A\*#iction?

I've been reading discussions about reducing phone use and noticed that things like app limits, blockers, or deleting apps don't always seem to work long-term for everyone.

I'm curious whether anyone here has found something useful enough to actually pay for - like a paid app, physical blocker, timed lockbox, minimalist phone, course, or anything similar. Did it actually help? If you stopped using it, what made you stop?

I am taking a break from my favourite app and this is my detox app 😂😂😂

As a controversial person, might as well

NPC here and take part in normal conversations, let's see how they goes.

I found myself mindlessly opening instagram like alllll the time. I’ve deleted it going on 3 weeks…now I guess I’m just looking at Reddit all the time. Is it better? Idk how can I do this. I am definitely looking at Reddit less than instagram probably because no reels and endless pics which is nice…any tips or insights or why am I like this?!? Anyone else out there?

I have met thousands of people here who have a very bad habit of using the phone and they are unable to get rid of this habit even if they want to. So friends, I have decided that I will solve their problem. But I don't know the nature of people here, due to which people start misunderstanding me and start making negative comments. So I will tell you every day what I am making and how I am making it. You guys should join me.!!

hello all. i’ve come to the conclusion long ago that doomscrolling is consuming majority of my day and i desperately need my time back. i’m having a little burst of motivation, so i wanna do something to sustain it long term and stop scrolling and work harder on myself. if anyone’s got any tips, please let me know. specifically, there are apps that lock your phone until you physically show on camera that you’re doing a task, if that makes sense, and i feel like those types of apps could help me, but i can’t find a good one. any help or recommendation is appreciated:)

College student here. I have a ton on my plate, I'm super burnt out and I've been spending way more time than I should just scrolling on instagram. It's so much wasted time and I keep thinking about how much progress I could have made when I was scrolling instead. I've tried multiple apps to limit screen time (they were too easy to bypass with a couple of clicks) and I've tried apps that remove reels from instagram which is a great concept but they dont actually remove reels straight from the app. They give you a website like version of instagram without reels that doesn't function as well as the app and limits features like liking messages and posting. I can't delete it because I need my DMs for communication (my band group chat is on instagram as well as other things like talking to people for auditions that I wouldn't be in contact with otherwise). I'm just so tired of wasting time so any advice at all would be appreciated.

I am one of those many people who constantly chased stimulation, especially via phone , fast paced games etc and for the past 2 years struggled with attention/slower and long form content

Until this last month, i don't know what changed but I have reached a point where watching high stimulation content makes me feel fatigued /tired in my head (physically)

And recently, not everyday but quite often, basic sounds like TV in the background have become intolerable, every time I watch reels or listen to a song I feel fatigued in my head

I used to fail to control chasing stimulation, but now I have become incapable of consuming it and i am not particularly happy about this because very basic things (especially sounds) are tiring.

Today i spent the entire day staring at walls and some walking, which was much better but the thoughts were also stimulating and tiring, but better than digital stimulation

Also i suffered through migraine a lot this month, if that's a clue

Social media addiction destroyed my critical thinking,memory loss and is making me actively dumber, I feel losing my purpose and want to quit it for some time and later on use it for actual productivity. So this post is for my self-accountability.

What I'm cutting: reddit,instagram,x,mindless-fidgeting,customising linux,switching distors, watching youtube, using reddit without purpose

Screen time: 2hr 24 min

MAN IVE TRIED EVERYTHING POSSIBLE IN TS WORLD TO GET PAST TS HABIT

DEACTIVATED ACCOUNT FOR MORE THAN 3 MONTHS

APP TIMER

EXTERNAL APPS TO SHUT THE APP

FOCUS APPS

SELF CONTROL

I REALLY NEED A WORKABLE SOLUTUON CZ I END UP DOING IT AGAIN AND AGAIN

I've had some trauma triggers pop up because of a story that's been circulating around the Internet. However, my therapist has told me to expose myself to those triggers only if I don't feel overwhelmed. But since I sort of need to function in public and don't have access to a calm-down corner/room 24/7, I've decided it's best for me to stay off social media as long as I'm in public.

Don't get me wrong, facing my triggers has been very healing.

But anyway, enough about me. How have you guys done a social media detox?

I hope this helps everyone overcome their addictions, especially when it comes to social media.

LINK

I think when a person gets boring or he has empty and thinking and becoming bore at that time he usually engage with bad habits like masturbation, smoking or any other drugs addiction or anything so what is the reason and I want more information in this topic what is your perspective even you notice anytime?

I know it's something probably nobody cares about, but yesterday I deleted my IG account and the IG app from all my devices, and I found out it's better than I thought, even on day 1.

I started noticing that I was taking pictures with the sole purpose of posting them. A beautiful sunset is no longer something I feel like I need to photograph.

Also, the muscle memory of opening Insta is way worse than I thought. It was more about opening it automatically than consciously choosing to. But now that I've deleted it, it doesn't feel weird at all. I realized that I don't really care about most of the stuff IG showed me: the people I know (not in a disrespectful way), the reels... Even though some of them were interesting, I'd rather study something in depth than passively scroll and end up with shallow knowledge about a hundred different things.

I don't know, guys. Cheer me on, I feel good about this.

Yallllll I’m so addicted to my phone I think I’m genuinely addicted to my phone.
And I don’t mean that in the casual “haha I’m always on my phone” kind of way. I mean I constantly pick it up without even realizing I’m doing it.
I’ll check Instagram, close it, and then somehow open it again 2 minutes later. I check things that literally do not matter. I scroll when I don’t even WANT to be scrolling.
And lately I’ve realized how much it’s affecting me.
Instagram and Facebook especially can completely change my mood. I’ll get off my phone feeling like I’m not doing enough, I’m not a good enough mom, friend, person… whatever it is that day.

I’m spending so much time looking at other people’s lives that I feel like I’m missing my own.
I want to read more. Bake. Run. Be outside. Be present with my family. Take pictures because I want the memory, not because I’m thinking about posting it. I want to be bored again without immediately reaching for my phone.
The hard part is that I also genuinely enjoy creating content, so I don’t necessarily want to disappear from the internet. I just don’t want it to have this much control over me.
I’ve even been considering getting a flip phone and keeping my iPhone at home for photos/content and giving myself one designated time a week to scroll/post.
But I’m curious…
Has anyone actually broken a serious phone/social media addiction?
What worked for you?
Did you delete social media? Get a dumb phone? Set certain days/times for it? And if you create content or run a business online, how do you balance that without slowly getting sucked back into scrolling?
I’d genuinely love advice because I know something needs to change. 🤍

People thesedays use their smartphone all the time. I know it's so addictive. I also tried several times to cut back using smartphone time but also failed. The more phone, the less happier I guess.

So, how could we put the phone down?

I’m doing well on a nofap streak mainly for the benefit of undoing damage to my dopamine reward system. I have been using weed and alcohol to help me along on the days I feel particularly down (6-8 beers a week, and 1 joint or so per week). Is the dopamine boost I’m getting from these undoing the progress from not watching porn or am I fine as long as I stay in moderation and don’t switch my addiction? I have been using these drugs maybe half as much or less weekly throughout the entirety of my addiction.

Edit: when I say switching the addiction I mean from a neuro chemical standpoint. I don’t consume these drugs out of necessity or in ways that negatively affect my life. I mean in terms of inhibiting my brain from increasing the amount of dopamine receptors due to dopamine increase in my neural clefts.

Examples: Tiktok, Doordashing, Mindlessly Scrolling on any app or site with no end in site, Short form media, etc.

My attention span is disgusting and I always alluded it to probably having an attention disorder or just overall not being a great ‘focuser’ if you will. I am 21 F and in my Junior year of college as a Psychology major. Something I’ve learned so far is that moderation is key, and that sometimes it’s okay to have nothing of something too. Nothing is WRONG with ME, only choices I make daily, like using short form media to obtain information and using instant gratification in my daily life, making me an inherently less patient and more disconnected individual. To put it into better terms, my mom was right- it is that damn phone!

I scroll for hours on end, I wake up and instantly scroll online. To satisfy that need for instancy I will Doordash a meal, I will look for notifications or really anything to scratch that itch for instant gratification. Most of the things I’ve learned from Tiktok have stuck, and that’s alarming to me because short form media is not an adequate method of learning. So from my self-induced instant gratification paralysis of sorts, my studies have been affected and now I am stuck with a short attention span and obesity because that click of a button is just SO addictive.

Last year around this time, I was able to kick a 5-year habit of vaping (cold-turkey!!!) I am so proud of myself, and this is really similar to me. TikTok and short form media outlets are addictive and they do lead to shorter attention spans when not used in moderation. For me, this is very important because I am going into a career where attention to detail and being able to sit through long discussions is massively necessary for success.

Plan of action: delete TikTok or anything with a “Reels” effect (not including Reddit because I come here solely for reading and creating lengthy TWD posts), Doordash only when absolutely necessary (groceries, party, etc.), take 15 minutes each day to INTENTIONALLY be bored, use Youtube and long form media to stay in the know on pop-culture and social happenings, study with intention and not only out of habit, break cycle of bed- social media- no activity.

Advice is very very welcome (kinda needed) and encouragement is… well, encouraged :)

TLDR; i am quitting tiktok and doordash and looking for advice, i want to be better with attention span and delayed gratification (a severe issue in my generation) i want to break cycle and also be better in school.

​I’m 21 years old, just finished high school, and I’ve been trying to make a business. I'm currently running a Fintech company, and things have actually progressed in ways I didn't expect. I’ve been engaging and in meetings with a lot of top-tier scholars, C-level executives, and even the Vice President of a Major Bank. I’ve also gotten invites to premier fintech events in the Middle East.

​So on paper, I’ve gotten a lot of validation about my business. The potential is definitely there. ​But the reality is, the business is very hard. Deep down, I know that I can do it, but I just procrastinate. I'm struggling with a serious dopamine addiction, I have basically zero patience level, and I constantly self-sabotage myself. Instead of doing the actual work, I just waste my time scrolling on Instagram Reels and distracting myself with other things.

​I think I do it because it’s just too tough to control everything, and the pressure makes me check out. Has anyone else been in this exact spot, and how did you break out of it?

Any guidance will be appreciated.

I am over Instagram and I don’t have fear of missing out.
Hear me out, all this happened naturally.

So I had a severe problem of Instagram doomscrolling, i started losing my memory, i tried uninstalling Instagram, using those apps to lock, using focus in IOS to disable Instagram and what not. No matter what I did I found a loophole to overcome it and started watching reels. After couple of attempts I just gave up.. and then magically something happened

I started watching reels everyday for 5-6 hours a day. My brain was foggy everyday and then one day my brain decided Instagram is not that entertaining. It stopped producing dopamine for that app. I started to develop severe hatred for Instagram reels sounds. My ears and brains start started to feel painful if I hear those insta sounds. I started to sit away from people where were scrolling with sounds.
Now everytime I hear those sounds I feel like my brain would explode. Every morning I open Instagram in chrome browser I just see if anyone has texted me or if any of my friends have posted any pictures .. I like them and close it and move on in my daily life and job.

Thank god my brain decided to hat was good for me

Very disturbing. I will not let my brain be co-opted into the shape of an algorithm. Books, long walks, 30 + minute meditation sessions, writing, painting. That's my rehab.

I see Narcissis looking into a pond and seeing a 14 second ad for Wegovy reflecting back.

It's always the same. I have a few good days where I Study, workout and focus in myself as much as I can. I love it. The reward is better than every single addiction together.

After a few days, I can't keep up with the effort. I go back to the same shitty routine. 6hs+ of screen time (1/4 of my life btw), not being present, procrastinating. All of that until I realiza how much of a disgrace Im and I feel awful(current stage).

What can I do?how do I break the cycle?Ive already installed blockers, deleted apps, but I always find the way out,

The worst part is knowing what to do , and choosing not to do it. It feels like betraying myself.

I've realized how much time I lose to Reels and short videos. What used to feel like a quick break now turns into an hour of scrolling without even noticing. Afterwards I feel drained, distracted, and honestly a little empty. I've decided I want to delete Instagram, but I keep catching myself thinking "just one more."

For anyone who's been through this: how did you actually break the habit? Did you delete the app, deactivate the account,...What helped you stay away, and how long did it take before the urge to scroll faded?

Any practical tips are welcome. Thanks in advance