A 2024 report found that, on average, adults worldwide spend 6 hours and 38 minutes on screens per day. Approximately 31% of Americans report “doomscrolling,” or consuming negative news excessively to the point that it causes anxiety and distress. Our tendency to get stuck on distressing news stories can be seen as a survival response — we want to be aware of potential danger so that we can be prepared. News outlets prey on this tendency by deliberately including incisive language to pull you in and keep you clicking, and social media algorithms are designed to keep your eyes on the app.
Consuming upsetting story after upsetting story wears us down and can contribute to anxiety, depression, and other mental health symptoms. It’s not your fault that you have trouble putting down the screen — they are designed to hold your attention. At the same time, there are steps you can take to curate your online experience and protect your peace. Here are four tips for managing your social media consumption for your well-being.
1. Set Time Limits and Stick to Them
You might not feel like you have the option to simply log off or not engage with social media platforms that promote doomscrolling. Many people use LinkedIn to network, and some schools use Facebook groups to communicate important information. Maybe Snapchat is your primary way of keeping in touch with loved ones who live far away. These apps are not all bad, and you may want to maintain those positive aspects while protecting your mental health from the constant barrage of bad news.
Most devices have an option to set screen time limits, either for the device as a whole or for specific applications. Additionally, parental control apps can restrict access to websites that you are trying to avoid.
Of course, when you are the one setting these limits, it can be easy to bypass them. Many smartphones, for example, will pop up and tell you that you are at your time limit but have an option to keep browsing with one tap. You need to commit to closing the app when your time limit is up, which is easier said than done. If you are unable to self-enforce these limits, you might choose an app with a parental control password, which is controlled by a friend you recruit to hold you accountable.
2. Make the Algorithm Work for You
Social media apps that operate on algorithms aim to hold your attention for as long as possible, and they can be manipulated. Because it is easy to get sucked into negative news stories and dwell on bad things that are happening in the world, if we are not careful, we can find our feed clogged with bad news. At the same time, we can manipulate the algorithm to show us more things that we enjoy seeing. After all, the algorithm’s ultimate goal is not to show us bad news, but to push advertisements.
Make a deliberate effort to look up and engage with content that boosts your mood, like videos of cute animals or memes that make you laugh. The algorithm is always learning more about your viewing habits, so intentionally spend more time viewing this content. Save or “like” it to demonstrate that this is the content that keeps you scrolling, not upsetting stories.
3. Choose Apps Without an Algorithm
Not every application relies on an algorithm to hold your attention. If you struggle with doomscrolling and find yourself dwelling on upsetting stories despite your best efforts, consider focusing on platforms that do not use an algorithm at all. Yes, they do exist!
Tumblr, a blogging platform, has an algorithm and populates a “for you” feed based on your viewing history. However, you can choose to stay on your “following” feed, which simply shows you posts from people you choose to follow presented in order, starting with the most recent. You can choose to exclusively follow accounts that share content that makes you smile and stick to your home feed.
BlueSky also shows posts in reverse chronological order without an algorithm. You can choose to sign up for certain feeds, which pull specific kinds of content, allowing you to see posts from more people but still focus on your areas of interest.
Mastodon is a decentralized social media platform that also does not use an algorithm to push specific kinds of content. You can fully curate your experience by following accounts that share posts of interest to you and view them in order.
4. Take Social Media Vacations
If you can feel your social media activity and news consumption wearing you down, but you are unable or simply do not want to deactivate altogether, it can be helpful to take a break. Social media breaks do not need to be long — you can deliberately take a few hours, a few days, or much longer offline to give yourself a chance to reset. Some people schedule regular breaks from social media, like going offline every Sunday or giving up social media for a predetermined amount of time on a regular basis.
For accountability, you can let your followers know that you will be offline. You can have a trusted friend set up two-factor authentication or change your password to keep you from returning from the vacation early.
Conclusion
We live in a time where we must balance being properly informed and protecting our mental health. Social media platforms help us stay in touch with loved ones and share information, but at the same time, they can pull us into a cycle of consuming more and more bad news. Use these tips to manage your media consumption and protect your mental health.
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