When you check the screentime page in your phone’s settings, what do you see? Probably a larger daily average than you really hoped for, but we recommend checking out the full screentime breakdown here.
When you do, you may just discover that your social media screentime outranks anything else you do when you’re looking at your phone.
And if that startles you, it’s clear something needs to be done! While it’s not terrible to spend time on apps like TikTok and Instagram, it can be a massive attention sucker throughout the day. You may lose time to these apps without even realising it, especially if you’re someone who finds it hard to come home from work, sit down on the sofa, and not just get your phone out.
So let’s make dialling back on social media easier on you. The social media landscape wants you to keep coming back for more, and it’s very difficult to navigate your way out of that. But it isn’t impossible. And if it’s notoriously hard for you to close down these apps without opening them again just a few minutes later, the tips below may be able to help.
Set a Timer to Stop the Scroll
You know your own habits when it comes to social media. If you want your screentime to show that you’re spending less and less time scrolling through Instagram reels or on Youtube shorts, set a timer before you dive in. Doing this could get you down from spending two or more hours on scrolling, to around 15-20 minutes at a time.
This way you still get that hit of dopamine you’re used to, but you’re setting a real limit on how long you’re exposing yourself to it. And if you don’t want to spend more than 15 minutes on your phone, set a 15 minute timer and wait for it to go off. When it does, close out of the app, lock your phone, and pop it down.
It might take some practice to get you to actually pay attention to the alarm, but you’ll also find that the sound of it will really shake you out of the endless scroll pattern you hate falling into. Act on that feeling when it strikes – the more you do so, the easier it’ll be to start operating without a timer at all.
Put Blocks on Social Media Apps
Alongside the timer idea above, you may want to start putting actual blocks on your social media apps. You should be able to do this in your settings, whether you have an Android model or an iPhone, but you can also download third party apps for this as well. The latter may come with a few more customisation options too.
When you set a block, you’ll be locked out of any apps that fall under it until a certain time later. You can set this to be as short or as long as you like, but always make sure your favourite social media apps are on the list. This way you won’t be tempted to check Instagram or X in the middle of the day and lose your whole lunch hour to it – you simply won’t be able to do so!
And if you’re worried about people trying to contact you via these apps, remember that you’ll still have your phone message/text app available whenever you need it. If someone really wants to get in touch about something urgent, they’ll still be able to do so!
Play More Games
Mobile gaming has come a long way in the past decade. What was once the realm of Candy Crush and Fruit Ninja is now filled to the brim with very creative, in depth, and long form narrative games that wouldn’t look out of place on a PC.
Because of that, why not download a few more games to your phone and give them a go? They’ll be more entertaining than social media and will certainly help you lower the amount of time you spend scrolling through your feeds.
Of course, mobile games can be just as addictive, and it’s important to be careful about the kind of games you play, so try to avoid that free to play formula that offers a million in-app purchases at the same time! If you can, try to buy well made, high quality games that you have to pay for upfront, or look at free online games you can play whenever you want.
From more traditional games like chess to newer classics like Monument Valley, there’s a little something for everyone in the mobile gaming world. Download a few, give them a try, and see what you think.
Download Creativity Apps
There are plenty of them to try out, all of which can offer something slightly different to the creative mind. From writing apps that help you build blocks of a story and outline your narrative, to drawing apps that provide a full art box functionality, you’ll be able to use your phone for whatever creative pursuit you have in mind.
And trust us when we say you can lose hours to doing something creatively fun! You may not even realise that much time has passed, but when you look at the clock, you could be two to three hours deep. If it’s only felt like five to ten minutes have passed, it’s a sign you’re getting the same kind of ‘feel good’ hit that you’d usually only get when scrolling on social media.
But now you’re having fun doing something a bit more worthwhile, and you’ll end up creating something you can even be proud of. If you’re the kind of person who used to indulge in activities like these all the time, but in recent years you’ve lost your passion for them, this screentime reduction method could even help you find your way back to doing them full time.
Use Your Phone to Read Books
Most phone models come with a free book app already installed, where you can buy and download copies of titles you’d like to read, as well as old favourites you never mind revisiting.
Reading is great for the brain, and even when done via a screen, you’re going to provide a lot more ‘food’ for your thoughts, knowledge, and neural pathways than you would just using social media. Yes, even though you read on there, none of it is long form content you can really get into!
If you have a library card, you can also download apps that allow you to access the digital bank of any local libraries around you. Sign up via your card’s details, then take out any books, magazines, audiobooks, and comics (as well as much more!) that you like the look of. That will make getting back into reading a lot cheaper on your wallet as well.
Start Phasing Out Phone Usage
Of course, the ultimate goal is to reduce screen time overall. If you’re worried about the amount of time you spend looking at your phone, putting it down and walking away is the only thing you can really do. But we know that’s far, far easier said than done. Reducing screentime takes a lot of effort, even if sitting there and scrolling doesn’t!
That’s where getting used to ‘stepping away’ from social media is so crucial. The more you get used to not using apps that keep you coming back for more, the easier it’s going to feel to close them down and actually stay away.
And that’s where the other activities on this list come in. Finding new things to enjoy through your phone screen can lead to plenty more manual, hands-on activities in real life too. If you download a sketchbook app and enjoy using it, why not buy a real sketchbook and a set of pencils for it?
It might take a little bit of getting used to, but all you’re really doing is removing the screen and still indulging in a hobby you’ve come to enjoy. Try to apply this to all of the points above, in as many ways as you can think of, and your screentime may even drop below 5 hours per day. That’s a goal many people believe is impossible!
Reducing Social Media Usage: What to Remember
When social media is the largest element of your weekly screentime, it can be a shock. You might not think you spend all that much time using it at all! But the key thing here is to replace social media with one thing first, then another, and watch that screentime counter come back down to where you want it.
Diversifying the way you use your time will help you to rely less on what’s up next on the recommended page, and let you find other things to do that feel a lot more fulfilling. As long as you want to cut back on how often you check social media, you absolutely can!
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