As many other people do, I tend to find comfort in technology. I distract myself from my problems by playing mindless games on my phone and scrolling aimlessly through social media.
For a long time, I didn’t think much about the repercussions of being so addicted to my phone and the apps that came along with it.
However, I recently realized that the same apps that I sought out to clear my mind are the same apps that were negatively affecting my mental health.
The app in particular that I found was affecting me the most was of course, my favorite one, TikTok; it’s pretty ironic that my most enjoyable go-to app was the most harmful.
I fell in love with TikTok when I first downloaded it in 2019. The app was new and exciting, and all the content was genuinely funny.
Fast-forward a couple years and I have noticed that the videos on my feed are no longer lighthearted and carefree; my feed transformed into a bottomless pit of sad videos.
In the same way I so easily and so willingly consumed the original happy content that filled my screen, I continued to take in each and every disheartening video I saw.
At first, I found myself simply relating to those videos, but I quickly noticed that constantly watching these types of videos was causing my mental health to worsen.
Watching these videos for hours on end felt like I was sinking into quicksand and there was no one around to give me their hand to pull me out. So, as cliché as this sounds, I decided to pull myself out and I deleted the app.
I’ve had TikTok deleted off of my phone for a month now and I can confidently confirm that I have noticed a drastic difference in my mental health as I am no longer glued to my phone every day.
I have now had the time to read, spend more time on my schoolwork, and, most importantly, I have had the time to give myself the attention and care that I need.
Now, I’m not saying you can’t lead a healthy mental life while having TikTok, but I personally needed to remove the app in order to get a step closer in my journey of bettering myself.
As silly as it may seem to some, deleting TikTok was pretty difficult for me since I experienced a lot of joy from the app for years; I was afraid I would miss out and no longer be able to relate to my friends about the things on TikTok we would usually laugh about.
I now know that I have not missed out on a single thing. Rather, I now know that I am gaining more life experiences by not going on TikTok every moment I have a second to spare.
So, if you too believe that TikTok or any other form of social media is taking a toll on your mental health, but you’re worried about deleting the app because you are attached to it, I’m here to tell you that it’s okay.
In fact, you should definitely go for it and delete it because I guarantee you your life will change for the better.