How do I quit a social media addiction?

Question

I'm always on my phone and always scrolling through tiktok or on discord. How do I develop the discipline to stop? Please help!

zeitgeist057 · Accepted Answer

First off, treat it like a REAL addiction, like if you were addicted to heroin or nicotine, or gambling. Once you have done that, you can use the same kind of tools people use to stop smoking or gambling.

You can join a support group. The same way there are Alcoholic Anonymous meetings, they have Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous meetings as well.

Follow the tips either specifically for your addiction or use the parameters and protocols established by previous addicts of substance abuse.

How to quit social media article.

How to quit smoking article

When I quit smoking, one of the things I did was make a list of pros and cons. How much money it cost me, the things I was missing out on, the health detriment to me. You can do the same. What could you be learning with your time? Relationships you could be building or skills, or just being more focused.

I would suggest quitting outright. Just drop it cold turkey. Maybe make an announcement post saying where you can be contacted and then just drop the account, suspend it, or delete the apps from your phone.

Diodoro · Accepted Answer

1. Logout of all social media apps.
2. Unsave your username and password
3. Manually log in when you want to use it
4. Log out and uncheck save info when you're done

A large part of social media addiction is having effortless immediate access at all times that you view without thinking. If you put up the barrier of having to manually login every single time, the nuisance of doing that alone might be enough to get you to use it less.

Because you're just looking at social media out of habit most the time, not because you actually want to look at anyting. Manually logging in forces you to think and to decide that you want to use it or not.

Personal opinion. The biggest hurdles for people can be resolved by 1. Manually logging out
2. Fast from posting on social media when you do use it.

You could have social media without actually posting anything. Removing some of the interactivity and the habit of feeling like you NEED to share this with everyone will help as well

Jennajay1719 · Accepted Answer

You can't quit all at once because you're used to it everyday. Try cutting off time each day maybe 30 min less or so and try finding inglés something else to do that keeps you off screen. Go for a walk to clear your mind. Go hiking or draw. Also maybe best thing to do is log out your social media or deactivate so you dont get notifications which causes you to go back on it

whirled_up_girl · Accepted Answer

All of the commenter here gave really good advice so I'll just add maybe find other activities to do like playing an instrument maybe piano or guitar or if you like draw excercise is a good one, yoga or something fun like Zumba.

jaykumar123 · Answer

You gotta keep your self occupied.
Try to see how you spend your time and then dedicate the time to something else. These things need motivation and try to understand from where you can fetch it and how strong it is.
Like for me I deactivate Instagram and then it's a month and I login just because I am super bored. And now am used to it.
For me, a girl misused the data from my Instagram to contact my parents and sent them our intimate pictures to invite trouble in my life. Since then I was so disturbed and I deactivated it. Now I am so used to be on and off to such social media addiction.

Let me know if you want to connect and discuss about anything.
Stay strong
Stay happy

Cheers

The_Shadow_Dweller · Answer

Keep the social media apps on your phone.
But severe your emotional connection with them. Think of how much of time you lose in those.
Then you will feel that those apps are not necessary and you will delete them automatically.

But if you delete them automatically, then you will feel a definite urge to redownload them and then continue on.
Prepare mentality first and then the physical thiing.

DeeDeeDeVour · Answer

1. Close/Delete your unwanted social media accounts.  2. Remove those apps from all your mobile devices and PCs.  3. Replace 'em all with a healthy hobby.

normalice · Answer

You could run for some elected public service office. They tend to get as much attention as social media these days and they tend to have as much information pushed on them as social media provides, too. Only it's in real life and it actually matters to other people (if you do it right). I think you'd find it pushes many of the same buttons as social media in a way that will make you never want to look at another screen again.

Sonorous · Answer

It's easier to do when you don't have the apps so easily at your disposal. So I recommend either deleting the accounts on them or just uninstalling the apps first. Then you just need to replace the time with something else. For instance, if I wanna use gag less, I'll play piano more often. And I won't load up the site until I feel that it will temporarily help me with something.

BCRanger10 · Answer

Take a small step first. Stop using the internet after, say, 8 PM every night for a month or so. Maybe try only checking it once or twice in an hour. Then after a few weeks of that, take a "bold" step and don't use it for a week.

Start leaving your phone in a different room. Maybe even try leaving it at home if you're just going for a quick errand to the grocery store or for coffee.

Maybe even try that rubber band therapy, as I call it.

SAMI_DABBAB · Answer

Set your accounts on private so you don't interact with anyone who's going to be a real time waste and make several accounts for each of your main interests, you'll end up visiting for specific reasons only (and definitely unfollow anyone who's content is just love stuff and posting hot people doing hot stuff)

genericname85 · Answer

I don't know about apple but google has digital wellbeing options, where you can limit the use per day for each individual app.

dustybiker · Answer

You have to really want to stop. It sounds like you are there. Addiction is difficult. It might take a couple weeks.

MonmonTheGreat · Answer

Ah yes the famous "photoshop social media pill", the mods sure found a great pic for this question lol.

Levin · Answer

The discipline bit requires discipline.

However, it would probably be more fruitful to work out why you have this addiction. What's it covering up? Is there something in life you don't want to deal with?

Jouth · Answer

maybe trade it out for a healthier addiction like cocaine.

But you can NEVER get addicted to milk!

hello everybody I'm new years milk goblin, I've come to spread holiday cheer!!

respond with how many cups milk you would like to have bones with good calcium.

Note: Replying with "doot doot" will not yield good calcium. I am not Mr Skeltal. Stop asking where my trumpet went. Thank you

EnglishEuropean · Answer

I'd advise against quitting cold turkey. Set aside some time during the day for social media, all other times leave it alone.

Heartache0405 · Answer

Find something else to be addicted to. Reading, tv shows, movies, drawing, exercise, legos, etc. There are plenty of things to focus on and ignore social media

TwinkleLily5 · Answer

I had limited the amount of hours a day I could spend on social media. I tried to set a specific time of day to use it ( didn’t work for me) but it’s worth a try.

Anonymous · Answer

Quit them (remove profiles completely), then find other things to distract you. It takes a bit of time, but eventually a lot of people find they don't miss it at all, and even are happier without it.

spartan55 · Answer

The first step is to admit you have a problem... 😂 😂  A glimmer of reason amongst the millions of girls who let social media run their lives...

sheikalana · Answer

Delete your accounts and delete the apps from all your devices. Find new hobbies and fun things to do.

GoodGuyBreakingBad · Answer

Unfollow people who will not be your friend on Social Media or   you could start looking for friends that live within your area on social media also put down your phone remove Apps.

s10sleeper · Answer

Uninstall the apps, leave your phone at home as often as you can, when at home, keep your phone in another room

Anonymous · Answer

what helped me was to not have the app on my phone where it's easily accessible.

TheFlak38 · Answer

you can't. your dumb narcissistic nature won't let you. Social media were designed to lock you down on them and be obsessed about the selfie culture and the thirsty comments you receive from your orbiters.

daisy191 · Answer

Keep yourself busy doing other things maybe catch up on some things u need to get done or go outdoors find a hobby u like to do

TheAfrikan · Answer

Probably do have a few days off social media ina week. You Will get used to it. Even if you miss a day without being online you will be used to it.

dragoblack · Answer

View social media differently and dont follow pages & people known for spreading drama. Follow pages that are informational or just pure entertainment. Customize your news feed with stuff to better yourself.

Luopio27 · Answer

I just deleted my acounts.  Life is where the people are, not where yheir devices are.

Massageman · Answer

Drop your memberships to them. I;m in the process of deleting memberships in about 50 or so groups in FBk.

KingofCups · Answer

Lol ru fuckin serious? Just delete the apps hun.  You'll feel a lot better knowing that you're not staring down at tiny screen every 6s for 8hrs a day.

Nazgol · Answer

Find something else to do like a hobby, something around the house e. g. cooking, gardening, or maybe some art & crafts if ur interested or try learning something new

Fireguy17 · Answer

delete the apps, and just don't go on it anymore. You have to quit cold turkey.

MJtheCoach · Answer

I can’t believe anyone with an IQ of higher than 3 would use Tiktok

Staximus · Answer

It's like smoking less or eating less. You just have to have some self discipline

KellyKOO · Answer

Slowly reduce the number of hours you spend on social media and find other ways to keep yourself busy.

joshigaurav578 · Answer

you need a good friend for leave this addiction. You can talk to him or her through call.

Guardian45 · Answer

Start by reducing the number of hours per day you permit yourself. Then prioritize your SM, and pick the top 2 or 3 to follow only.

sharmaprakharr · Answer

U can't quite social media easily... Make a gap of using each application like check WhatsApp in every 4 hours and Instagram every 5hours this will reduce screen time

TheDarkAngel21 · Answer

Don’t the wi-fi/Internet for 1 day  Go to the cinemas if your friends  Have a walk

scooogy · Answer

You could log in to facebook and message Mark Zuckerberg calling him Large Suckernerd :P

whosnumber1 · Answer

I dropped Facebook and the only social media a look at is YouTube. you can message me if you want.

jimmy2 · Answer

Let the battery die go a week then sit down understand life better without it

Better_off_here · Answer

you can simply deactivate your accounts and just take time to focus on other things instead.

SphynxUK · Answer

Delete the apps. Simple.

Anonymous · Answer

To quit domething you just have to find a substitute

legalboxers · Answer

turn off the phone...

sensible27 · Answer

Think deeply about simple things.

chriscdi · Answer

Find things to do off the internet

blondfrog · Answer

Get friends in real life. There you are cured.

boobliker · Answer

get an old phone and sell the laptop? done job

worldscolide · Answer

Simple. Put it down. Turn it off.

Subarugirl · Answer

you delete the social media

noohair · Answer

Set limits and detox slowly.

Anonymous · Answer

Ditch the smartphone and get a Nokia 105.

Joker_ · Answer

Make it your new year's resolution

emperor90 · Answer

Minimise how long u use it

PeterSmith1983 · Answer

Find a new hobby or boyfriend

Deserter · Answer

Set certain hours you can go on

coupleofquestions · Answer

Make money off it somehow

Blackcupcake · Answer

take a break from it

WowwGirl · Answer

Put your phone down

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