I have had social media since the ripe age of 9 years old. Six years later, I have found myself wrapped tightly around the stigmas, habits, and insecurities created by these platforms. I never saw the habits relating to my screen time as a problem but rather a way of life, and I feel everyone in this generation can agree. You might not realize it, but our lives revolve around social media. The average screen time of a teen is around 7 hours a day. It may be a prime source of communication, but it is also a breeding ground for depression and anxiety, not to mention a major distraction.

What people don’t realize about social media is that it is literally addictive. We get addicted to the overload of serotonin and dopamine these apps provide. You are probably thinking, “Aren’t those ‘happy chemicals’? Why would getting them be bad?” Yeah, I guess you can call them that, but the immense amount of these hormones our bodies release becomes addictive, and not getting the usual flood of chemicals leaves us feeling depressed. Our bodies aren’t supposed to get so many happy hormones. It becomes hard to remove ourselves from something that brings so much delight and validation. “Why would delight be bad?” Well, because hidden amongst that delight is a toxic mentality. Ever post a picture and keep going back to check how many likes and comments it has? Do you get sad when the number is lower than you thought? After this, are you sure to make your next post more socially desirable? Maybe it’s just me, but this mentality of insecurity and never feeling good enough was ingrained in my mind for six years. The number of snaps I got, making sure I only posted Instagram-worthy stories, and not leaving a hair out of place on my feed were things I became almost obsessed with. The validation we search for through these platforms is nice when we get it but feels like a cause for self-doubt when we don’t. 

Now that we have established that social media is toxic, for more reasons than just the ones that I’ve listed, I can help you ease out of the clasp it has on your life.

Tip #1: Turn off your notifications.

A big part of the draw to social media is the constant bings and buzzes of the notifications. Turning off your notifications can cut down the extra times you pick up your device at the sound of a new (truly unimportant) alert.

Tip #2: Stop sending streaks.

Streaks are used to maintain a prolonged cycle of constant snaps between you and another person. That number with the fire emoji next to it is literally just a number. The world will not implode if that number disappears. Not sending streaks will for sure minimize your time spent on the app.

Tip #3: Limit the number of people you snap.

You say Snapchat is for communication purposes. Is sending a picture of not even your whole face once every ten minutes to the kid you had one class with last year worth your time? Cut down the number of people you actively snap to just your close friends. Also, no, it is not in any way rude to leave people on read. A constant stream of replies is quite impractical.

Tip #4: Try to not go on your phone first thing in the morning or last thing before bed.

Studies have shown that being on screens immediately before going to bed makes it harder to go to sleep. There is an aspect of the blue light from our phones that has a negative effect on our sleep schedules. Being on your phone immediately when you wake up can start an unproductive morning. Try leaving it untouched in the charger until you are properly up.

Tip #5: Delete.

Woah there. This is certainly a big step, although having TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Youtube, and possibly even Twitter is a HUGE time consumer. Start with the ones you are less dependent on. Could you maybe work up to deleting one? Possibly two? ALL? Bold move.

I hope you find these tips to be useful on your journey to limiting your social media usage. As someone who has been practically social-media-free for about two weeks, it is hard, but it was little things like this that helped me ease out. I believe being social-free has lowered any depression I had, given me much more free time, and helped out my grades. Social media is a big, intimidating ball of stigmas. I am confident that these tricks will help lighten the heavy load of being a teenager in these times.