TikTok has taken over the world. If you’re on it, you’re most likely addicted to it without even realizing it. The biggest tell of this was when the app was initially banned in the United States. Not many people were comfortable with the idea of letting the app go. Many have businesses on TikTok, and it is their livelihood, so, understandably, they would not want to lose that. But for a large portion of people, it is just because they spend all day scrolling through.Â
TikTok took up too many hours of my day. The second the app was banned, I kept unconsciously clicking on the app even though I knew it would not work. From talking to other people, I found that I was not the only one. Typically, I had an average of three hours a day on the app. Which seems insane because it does not feel like that long. But doom scrolling can take up so much of your time.
In the past week, I have decided to stop using the app as much. I set a timer for how long I am allowed to scroll, and I moved it off my home screen. In just one week, my time has been cut by over half. Now, I am only on the app for between 10 minutes and an hour a day. I have experienced a significant amount of change in myself from this choice, and it has only been a short period. The top benefits were extra free time, less anxiety, and improved focus.
Extra free time:
You lose track of time scrolling. The algorithm is meant to be engaging. It picks up on the things you enjoy and builds your for you page around that. The less time you spend scrolling, the more time you have for the things that you actually enjoy. More time for your hobbies that feed your brain in positive ways.
Less Anxiety:
TikTok picks up on the things you are going through due to its extensive algorithm. It can expose you to more triggering content that you could feed into. Staying away from negative content helps you to not sit in your thoughts. Not only that, but TikTok is a large space for comparison. This could be about your looks, how much someone else has, etc. When you stop consuming these posts, you can be more present.Â
Improved Focus:
The less short-form content you consume, the more you can focus on other tasks or long-form content. I have found that I can read my books without picking up my phone as often. I can watch YouTube videos like I used to. This has also spread into my productivity in homework.Â