You’re looking at a screen right now. How long have you been looking at this screen? When was the last time you took a break? How long do you spend looking at screens every day? Do you even know? If you have it enabled on your phone, you can use Screen Time (on iPhone) or Digital Well-being (Android) to check how much time you spend on your phone. Perhaps it’s shocking to see the sheer number of minutes and hours you spend looking at your phone. It’s most likely that your most used app is a social media app like Instagram or Twitter. It’s also likely that you spend a ghastly amount of time using such apps. In addition to simply taking up too much of our time, there are a lot of aspects of social media that just aren’t good for the human psyche.
If you’re anything like me, constant use of social media has recently begun to leave you feeling overwhelmed and drained. While, originally, these websites were created to connect with friends and family around the world, a lot of social media sites have become unhealthy places to spend so much time. It is true that a lot of wholesome social interaction and spreading of information and ideas happens online, however, the longer you spend online, the less nice things tend to seem. Twitter can be a place of constant bickering and misinformation. Instagram can be full of beautiful models and rich celebrities, leaving you to compare your life to theirs. And Facebook? That’s where your elderly relatives and old classmates live. Gross.
Even if, like me, you’ve taken the time to curate your social media timeline so that you only see content from people you really care about, the sheer amount of time spent can be a problem in itself. It’s cool if your social media experiences are full with meaningful interactions with old friends and learning about current events. But do you really need to spend four hours of your day every day doing that?
Because so much of our lives seem to take place online, it might feel like we’re missing out if we leave social media, even for a little bit. I can assure that this is not true. And even if it is, think of how much of your real life you’re missing out on by scrolling mindlessly through Instagram for hours.
The great thing about Screen Time is that you can put limits on how many minutes (or… hours…) you are allowed to spend on each app. You can place limits on when you’re allowed to use certain apps as well. Maybe you want to stop checking Instagram as soon as you wake up. Maybe you want to stay off Twitter when you’re trying to fall asleep. You have the option to place those limits. The best thing to do is to take a break completely. Delete the apps altogether. Just do it.
I recently took a break from social media. It was great, and I recommend it. It’s easier to focus in class without always looking at your phone. You can enjoy hanging out with your friends without feeling pressure to put anything on your Story. You can also get your news from credible sources and not have to see the opinions on it from every person you’ve ever met. You can even devote time to catching up on schoolwork and discovering other hobbies. Remember: whenever something makes you feel bad, drained or overwhelmed, stop doing it.