By: Ellie Bruno, Intern (M.A. in progress)
“I don’t know how I got here. I went online to like my sister’s post and ended up watching a small business owner make goose earrings out of glass…three hours later.”
Sound familiar? If you’ve ever opened an app with one intention only to realize an hour (or three) has disappeared, you’re not alone.
This post is for anyone interested in reducing their social media use. Whether you want to free up more time, prove to yourself that you can, or simply take a much-needed break, cutting back can be surprisingly difficult. In this post, we’ll explore practical ideas and strategies to reduce mindless scrolling and build healthier habits.
Ask yourself: Why?
You pick up your phone and open your social media app of choice. Before you tap the icon, ask yourself, “Why? Why do I want to get on right now?” Is it because you’re bored? Did something just happen that you want to avoid? Are you feeling down and don’t want to think?
Social media, when used to stay connected with others, can be a wonderful way to support and connect with people. However, if it has become a coping strategy or an avoidance mechanism, it may not give you the results you’re looking for.
A research experiment to understand your usage
One of the best ways to change a habit is to first understand it. If you feel inclined, try tracking your social media use for a couple of days or up to a week.
When tracking, you can include the app or website, the device you used, the time of day, how long you scrolled, your location, your motive, your mood, and any other metric you think could be helpful.
Once you’ve gathered your data, look for patterns. There are a variety of common scenarios:
- It was after dinner, and you stayed sitting at the kitchen table to avoid doing the dishes.
- You picked up your phone out of habit while using the bathroom.
- You were too tired to move from the couch, but not tired enough to sleep.
- You wanted to feel connected to old friends you haven’t seen in a while.
Simply tracking a behavior often leads people to do it less because they’re paying closer attention to it. While tracking alone probably won’t eliminate the habit, it can help you recognize your vulnerable moments before they happen. This gives you an opportunity to respond to what you’re actually needing in that moment.
Behavioral adjustments
Once you understand when and why you scroll, you can begin substituting social media with another behavior. What hobby or task have you been telling yourself, “I would do it if I had more time”?
The hope is that, as you cut back on social media, you’ll have more time to do the activities you’ve been longing to do. Choose something that’s enjoyable and meaningful, not just another item on your to-do list.
One of the biggest challenges with social media is short-form content. Replacing some of your scrolling time with an episode of a TV show, a documentary, or a movie can be a reasonable alternative. Longer-form content typically requires more sustained attention than short videos, and it has a natural stopping point, unlike an endless “For You” page. Of course, the goal isn’t to replace one form of endless screen time with another, so it helps to decide ahead of time how much you’ll watch.
When possible, try to connect the new activity to your original reason for getting on social media. We want to address the root cause, not replace it with an alternative that only partially meets the need. For example, if you wanted to laugh, turn on a comedy. If you find yourself reminiscing about the past, reach out to an old friend to chat.
Adjusting how, when, and where you scroll can reduce, but not completely eliminate, the behavior. Get creative! Don’t feel limited by the ideas presented here.
- Create no-phone zones. Limit taking your device into vulnerable spaces, especially the places that showed up most often on your tracker.
- Slot in dedicated time. Schedule a specific social media block during the day or week.
- Use an external clock. Time your usage with a physical timer instead of your phone.
- Find an accountability buddy.
- Scroll on one foot.
Let your phone help you
Over the years, phone manufacturers and software developers have become more aware of the effects excessive phone and social media use can have on our attention and well-being.
One simple change is to turn off notifications. Every app asks for them, but very few actually need them. Some other options include:
- Using bedtime restrictions.
- Turning on a black-and-white filter at night to make content less visually appealing.
- Removing apps from your home screen.
- Setting app time limits.
- Downloading a restriction app like Opal, Freedom, Roots, or Jomo (note that most require a subscription to access all features).
Self-compassion
Most importantly, give yourself grace throughout this process. It won’t be perfect, and perfection shouldn’t be the goal. The intent is simply to take back some of the time that social media has been consuming.
When you catch yourself scrolling at an unintended time, scolding yourself won’t help. Instead, congratulate yourself for noticing the behavior. That’s mindfulness in action.
You’re not weak. Social media platforms are intentionally designed to capture and hold our attention, and our brains didn’t evolve to manage a constant stream of highly engaging content. Be patient with yourself as you build new habits.
Wishing you the best as you work toward a healthier relationship with social media!