My Expierience With Social Media Addiction, And How I'm Getting Over It

Published: August 29, 2025

Like most my age, I struggle with using social media way too much. My flavor of drug use includes Reddit, YouTube, Instagram, and sometimes Threads. I used to be addicted to Twitter too, but all the Only Fans model ads popping up every 6th tweet and under every reply got old quick. I should clarify, when I say i'm addicted to social media i'm referring to about 2-3 hours of screen time daily. This number used to be way worse when I was unemployed. Probably closer to like 4-7 hours daily on TikTok alone *shudders*.

I guess I decided to write about my experience because I know I'm not alone.

More than anything, I always knew using too much social media was an inherently bad thing. I was effectively wasting most of my day doing nothing. When I was younger (7-14) I was using my free time to do things like draw, play video games, go outside, and whatever else I set my heart to. With social media came this slow but steady desire to aimlessly scroll the void of the internet, and infinite scroll as a predatory "feature" didn't help with abating that. And it wasn't always like that. Back when I first started social media (2010ish), apps like Twitter and Instagram were wholesome compared to what we have today. Social media has been mangled into quite the predatory experience with ads being shoved down our throats and the algortihm serving up infinite brain rot. I remember the days when Instagram actually showed content in a chronological order by default with no ads.

I suppose I sound like a boomer with all my talking about how bad social media is. I can't help but think that social media is a pivotal piece of software to help build and maintain the fabric of community. There needs to be a widely adopted online alternative that isn't for profit. Especially a platform where a lot of morals dont' get sacrificed to reap profits. VSCO has been one alternative to instagram I use to post my cool photos. There's less of a social aspect to it and maybe that's a good thing. Modern social media (2015ish onward) feels more akin to an online casino with how addicting it can be. I suppose that's why it's so popular.

Steps I'm Taking To Combat Soical Media Addiction

Moving forward, I will be attempting to use social media less and less. I've tried quitting cold turkey with little luck. I always come back to some form of consumption. The most effective solution for me was to go back to using a desktop to access my online content. I have to go sit at the big computer and use my mouse and keyboard to infinitely scroll for hours. It's honestly a much more pleasurable experience than using the 6in smartphone screen. Who would have guessed that my dual monitor setup with ergonomics taken into account could be more comfortable then scrolling on the toilet for 30 minutes.

Another way I'm combatting my addiction is by not sleeping with my phone in the room. I now charge my phone in the kitchen at night. That way, there is no temptation to do a quick 2 hour browse from 11pm to 1am. The effects are glamarous. I am forced to get out of bed every morning and shut off my alarm. It sucks and this is the price I'm paying to have optimism to start my day instead of a short 30 minute doom scroll causing me to be late to work.

I also decided to not upgrade my iPhone. I'm still rocking the 12 pro max in a rather ugly blue color. I think not upgrading my iPhone is an attempt at defying the trend of overconsumption. My current iPhone works fine. I really need my phone to make calls, text people, and occasionally access finance things. Something about buying a new thing when the old one works fine doesn't sit right with me. In the past I disregarded my emotions and bought a new phone because "Oh I use my phone daily and a good experience matters". But that's actually such a garbage take: Do gamblers get excited when a casino opens up new slot machines? Reframing the situation into how my phone enables my social media addiction made me realize how deep in the rabbit hole I was.

The confusion I felt when deciding to upgrade should have been a clear indicator that something's not right. When I'm confused in life, I take it that I'm out of my comfort zone and someone's taking advantage of me. That's not always true, but in the case of upgrading to a new iphone I felt a lot of back and forth. Apple almost got me. Not today Apple. I take this as a sign to keep my iphone 12 and swap the battery for $90. I also convinced my mom she doesn't need a new phone. She was skeptical but I convinced her that new phone's don't really make us happy long term. Though the short term dopamine hits like what I imagine crack to feel like.

Navigating the confusing mess of my social media addiction is an on going journey. I've been trying to combat my addiction since the first day I saw my screen time hit 4 hours on tik tok. The grip of social media is powerful. Not to be underestimated. I plan on not upgrading my phone, using social media only at the big computer, and not sleeping with my phone on my nightstand to combat social media addiction. These three things coupled together helped me go from 4-7 hours daily to 2 hours max daily across all online social platforms.