Back in High School, I used to scroll on Instagram Reels, and eventually, my friend started pressuring me into downloading TikTok…so I did.
At first, it seemed like the best decision ever, being caught up on the latest trends, understanding meme references, and inspo for many things such as my wardrobe, music, etc., until it wasn’t.
Unlike Instagram reels, you can never be bored on TikTok. So, imagine scrolling for hours and hours on end with no end to memes and random videos people post, the never-ending doomscrolling sessions. I didn’t realize what was happening, and eventually, it went from scrolling after school to scrolling before bed and eventually scrolling first thing in the morning.
At one point, I deleted it just to see how long I would last without it. Five days later, it was back on my phone screen. Except my addiction got worse. Another major factor was that I was stressed and anxious, so whenever that would happen, I would resort to TikTok, and the feelings would go away temporarily.
This carried on throughout high school and eventually into college. With the increased pressure of school and sometimes personal problems, TikTok would help me get off the edge for a few hours. A few hours became five hours, and I would eventually spend the day off scrolling on TikTok. I would get nothing done, and it was all over the place. Eventually, it took a toll on me mentally, and I didn’t have the strength to delete the app.
Until 2 weeks ago, when I hit the uninstall button for TikTok.
A lot happened before I deleted the app, and even though it was my coping strategy to help me with my mental well-being, it was a toxic one. I started listing many other things I can do instead of watching TikTok videos, such as going to the gym, journalling, self-care, etc. I made a schedule and a to-do list of what I needed to get done and decided to keep the rest of my socials on my phone since I wasn’t that addicted to them.
At first, I did have the urge to doomscroll and wanted to download the app again, but I promised to go off the list I made. Whenever I tried to go on social media, I would resort to Instagram. The most time I spent on the app was about two hours, and I kept the rest of my apps, such as Pinterest or Facebook, at 30 minutes max.
However, after deleting the app, I feel more relaxed and am not on my phone as often. I get much work done; surprisingly, I am doing okay than expected. Those who have deleted the app or are looking to take a social detox, take it slow, set yourself a list of things you can do instead of doom-scrolling, and eventually, you will know when you are ready to delete the app.