How to Break Free from Social Media Addiction: 7 Steps Plan

This is the second part of an article dedicated to social media (read the first part here: https://mayaclars.com/articles_view/63/index.html ). Here, we will discuss actions that can help you significantly reduce your screen time and free up a larger part of your life for something more meaningful. I will share tips that have personally helped me. But first, let’s talk about all the methods I have tried that are commonly recommended online.


1. Limiting Screen Time Using Timer Apps

When I first heard about using a timer to manage social media usage, I was eager to try it. My phone already had a built-in time control feature for apps, so I didn’t need to download anything extra. I set a 15-minute timer for each social network and 30 minutes for video-hosting platforms. My goal was to use social media mainly to post music content on my pages and, occasionally, to scroll. I thought this would be the ideal balance.

At first, the experiment went well. I used social media, and when the time was up, I’d wrap things up and call it a day. It seemed like this method would finally work for me—but I was wrong. One day, I wasn’t feeling great, and sadness set in. I found myself not caring about any restrictions; I turned off all the timers and spent three hours scrolling, completely forgetting everything else. Naturally, the next day, I forgot to turn the timer back on and continued using social media without any limits or purpose. My finger automatically reached for the app, and I kept checking it every free moment.
I realized that this method wasn’t for me, so I began my search again.



2. Switching to Grayscale Mode

Soon after, I read somewhere that addiction might be partly due to the bright colors on our screens, and that switching to grayscale mode could reduce this effect by making it less visually stimulating. Not all phones have this feature, but thankfully, I found the grayscale setting in my phone's options.

The effect was immediate—my screen time dropped noticeably. It felt dull to look at the same monochromatic images, with everything blending into shades of black, gray, and white. It seemed to work well; I was able to control my usage, and for a week, it felt like I’d found a good solution. But unfortunately, this method also turned out to have its flaws. As I mentioned earlier, I use social media for music, so whenever I needed to edit videos or photos, I had to turn off grayscale mode to see the colors correctly while editing.

Since I was doing this often, I eventually got tired of constantly switching the mode on and off, and soon stopped using it altogether. My unhealthy social media usage crept back up again.


Then I started to wonder—what could actually help me break free from mindless social media scrolling? I began searching various forums, reading posts on Reddit, and going through all kinds of advice. In the end, I realized one thing: deleting apps was the only real solution.

I’ll say upfront—this method didn’t work on the first try. When I initially deleted social media apps from my phone, I eventually downloaded them again. It was as if I understood they were holding me back, but at the same time, I didn’t want to lose out on all that “valuable” information. So, on the first, second, and even third attempt, I ended up reinstalling them.



So, what finally worked for me? Below, I’ve broken it down into seven steps to make it easier for you to read and follow.

1. Understand Why You Need to Delete Social Media

Let me share how this process went for me personally. At some point, I became incredibly frustrated with social media. It felt like all creativity had vanished, and everything was focused on the same recurring themes. Even people with different interests were being shown the same Reels and Shorts, and now the entire world seemed to be discussing why the inside of a strawberry is white instead of red. Everything happening on social media started to feel suspicious, like a new tool for manipulation that was working exceptionally well. This realization made me angry and disgusted—realizing I was just another victim of manipulation.


2. List All the Pros and Cons of Deleting Social Media

It’s essential to clearly define these because if the cons outweigh the pros, you might not last long without social media and will end up returning to it. For me, the pros of deleting social media outweighed the cons.

It also helps to detail how you’ll address each specific drawback of deleting it. Here’s how it looked for me: one of my cons was, "Social media helps me learn a foreign language used in everyday life," to which I responded, "In reality, I don’t actually learn those new phrases and words; I just scroll past. I can always pick up new phrases through books or movies instead." Or, another one was, "I won’t be able to upload Reels from my phone," and I answered, "I have a computer and a tablet, so I can easily upload anything I need from those devices."


3. Log into All Your Accounts from a Computer or Tablet

Especially if you have two-factor authentication enabled, it’s easier to set everything up on your computer or tablet before deleting the apps from your phone.


4. Test Posting from a Computer or Tablet

You’ll need to check and make sure that you can still post content, stories, and short videos from your tablet or computer. There’s plenty of information online about this, so I guarantee you’ll find what you need.


5. Write Down Hobbies, Tasks, and Activities You Want to and Enjoy Doing

After stepping away from social media, you will definitely find yourself feeling bored. It’s essential to find some activities to fill that time! You might want to dedicate more effort and time to your studies or work, or perhaps discover a new hobby! If you're having trouble figuring out what to do, try reflecting on your childhood. Maybe you loved drawing with chalk, or perhaps you enjoyed cooking! It can be anything at all. Personally, I chose to focus on learning Chinese, programming, animation, and reading books. The more, the better! Write down everything you can think of.


6. Delete Social Networks from Your Phone.


7. Keep a Mood Journal Every Day for a Week After Deleting Social Media from Your Phone

You can use either a paper format or a digital one. Try to track your emotions over the course of several days. For instance, write each night before bed for at least a week. You can spend just five minutes and keep it brief. If you’re unsure of what to write, consider these questions:

• What is my current mood?
  
• Was it difficult for me today to avoid using social media? Did I think about it throughout the day?
  
• Did I want to reinstall social media?
  
• What did I do instead of using social media? How did I spend my time?
  

This exercise will help you process your thoughts and better identify your emotional state. It will also be interesting to read later and understand how strong your addiction was.


In principle, those are all the steps that helped me. You might have been hoping to find some magical solution or a miracle pill in this article, but unfortunately, to reduce your social media usage, you need to carefully complete the first two steps: understand why you need to delete social media and what the pros and cons will be. If you really enjoy scrolling and spending time on social media, I recommend checking your screen time—could it be 10 hours a day, with 80% of that being social media usage? Just remember that:

1. Per Year:
  7 hours/day x 365 days = 2,555 hours/year

2. Over 70 Years: 
  2,555 hours/year x 70 years = 178,850 hours

3. Converted to Years:
  178,850 hours ÷ 24 hours/day ÷ 365 days/year ≈ 20 years

Conclusion:
Using a phone for 7 hours a day could add up to approximately 20 years over a lifetime!


That’s all! Use social media wisely. Wishing you all the best!