Not to be dramatic, but deleting TikTok may have been one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. As my Her Campus bio says, I’m obsessed with all things pop culture. For the nearly four years that I had TikTok, I relied on it to fill me in on all of the newest, juiciest, and sometimes underground celebrity drama. Plus, I found new obsessions in TikTok creators and enjoyed following hundreds of them for lifestyle advice.
But in August, I realized I needed to make a change; I found myself opening TikTok before getting out of bed in the morning, and my phone’s reminders of my daily Screen Time were anything but comforting. I had tried setting a time limit on the app, but I always found myself clicking “15 more minutes”. I knew what I had to do, but I didn’t expect it to be so easy for me to live without it. That’s because I’ve noticed a lot of positive changes in my life since I’ve gotten rid of it.
First, I’m more present. Because I was essentially an addict, I used to open it up at any spare chance I had. Oftentimes this meant hanging out with my friends and family. Looking back, I hate that I missed out on any conversations, big or small, just because I wanted to be entertained.
Secondly, I’m more productive. It’s amazing how much earlier you can get your work done when you’re not stopping for quick breaks on TikTok that were supposed to last a few minutes, but inevitably turn into at least 20.
Lastly, and most importantly, my mood is better. This could definitely be credited to an increase in sleep, but I think that it’s largely due to having one less platform to make self-comparisons. Even though we all hear about the negative effects of social media on self-esteem, it can be hard to recognize when it affects yourself. With any videos that I saw, I subconsciously compared myself to other women- whether that be her clothing, body, lifestyle, or anything else where I differed. Since deleting the app, I’ve found more self-acceptance and self-love.