How to reduce your screen time (and improve your mental health)
A quarter of Gen Z and a fifth of Millennials report spending four to six hours daily on social media platforms, while almost a fifth of Gen Z spend over seven hours engaging with social media.
Too much social media screen time can have a significant impact on our wellbeing, leaving us feeling anxious, annoyed, frustrated, uncomfortable and depressed.
To help protect your mental health, Andrew Smith at Click Consult and psychologist Anna Shears share five actionable tips on managing social media.
1) Stay informed but don’t overload
With social media comes a nonstop stream of news that can be addictive. It’s important to stay informed, but too much exposure can be overwhelming and lead to feelings of stress, anxiety, and burnout.
Limit your news intake to a few trusted sources rather than getting your information from everywhere possible. Stop checking the news every time there’s a notification, which can make you feel on edge all day, and limit your news reading to a specific time once a day.
2) Curate your social media feeds
The content you see on social media every day has a major impact on your mood and mindset and following accounts that post content that makes you feel anxious or angry seriously affects your mental health.
Be aware of your triggers, unfollow and block accounts that post negative content, and mute keywords and hashtags that trigger stress/anxiety and lead to doom-scrolling. Instead, curate your feed and algorithm to ensure you only see positive content.
3) Make it harder for yourself
Turn off auto-login on your social media apps. Having to enter your username and password every time you want to scroll will make you more mindful of what you’re doing and make you stop and think about whether you really need to be logging on, preventing you from mindlessly picking it up and scrolling without noticing what you’re doing.
4) Set limits
Set time limits for yourself and try to limit yourself to only using social media at certain times of the day. Avoid first thing in the morning, which can start your day off in a bad mood, and before bed, which will cause you to have negative thoughts racing through your mind when trying to sleep. It’s also a good idea to limit your children’s screen time.
5) Seek support
Doomscrolling and social media addiction can have a significant impact on your mental health, leading to feelings of comparison, loneliness, and depression – and it’s important to seek support if you’re struggling. Reach out to friends and family if you’re feeling overwhelmed, and consider getting help from a mental health professional who can help you with strategies to build a healthier relationship with social media.
What is doomscroll burnout?
The word “overwhelmed” emerged as the most frequently used in a survey conducted by Click Consult when respondents were asked to describe feelings associated with social media. This feeling may stem from the constant influx of information, the pressure to conform to unachievable lifestyle habits and beauty standards, or the inability to switch off and take time away from the screen.
The term doomscrolling has emerged in recent years, notably during the pandemic, to describe the habit of compulsively scrolling through social media for hours at a time. The term is synonymous with feelings of anxiety and burnout due to not being able to stop and usually coming away feeling worse than when you started.
One respondent from the Click Consult survey said, “I’m addicted to doom scrolling and find it very difficult to put my phone down; it’s affecting my physical… and mental health by too much screen time.” Another claimed, “It can sometimes suck you in, and before you know it, a few hours have passed.”
Find balance when scrolling social media
Social media effects often interact with pre-existing conditions, and long-term impacts are still being studied as social media is relatively new.
A balanced approach is necessary when looking at the effects of social media on mental health. Disproportionate or excessive use can have negative consequences, whereas when used in a meaningful way as a tool to seek support or guidance can be useful. Proportionate use by younger people should be moderated with clear boundaries to ensure a healthy balance.