Do You Need a Social Media Detox?

In today’s hyper-con­nect­ed soci­ety, it’s easy to lose track of how much time we spend online. Did you know the aver­age per­son spends over six hours a day on the inter­net, with two and a half of those hours scrolling through social media? While these plat­forms can keep us con­nect­ed and informed, they can also take a toll on our men­tal health. This is espe­cial­ly con­cern­ing for chil­dren and teens, as one in five young peo­ple world­wide now live with a men­tal health condition. 

You and your kids may not need to go cold turkey on social media, but set­ting bound­aries and fol­low­ing a few prac­ti­cal tips to care for your men­tal well-being in our always-on world can help each of us feel less over­whelmed and regain some con­trol of our men­tal health. 

Tips for Healthy Social Media Use 

Find­ing a bal­ance between online and offline life is essen­tial for pos­i­tive men­tal well-being. Here are some prac­ti­cal tips to help you cre­ate a health­i­er dig­i­tal routine: 

• Set Bound­aries: Use app timers and lim­its, remove apps from your smart­phone, or place charg­ers out of reach dur­ing spe­cif­ic times to pre­vent mind­less scrolling. Estab­lish phys­i­cal bar­ri­ers like a des­ig­nat­ed ​“no phone zone” at home to sup­port healthy boundaries. 

• Estab­lish a New Rou­tine: Ded­i­cate more time to engage in hob­bies, exer­cise, or spend qual­i­ty time with loved ones. This shift not only lessens dig­i­tal depen­den­cy but also enhances over­all satisfaction. 

• Rec­og­nize What Con­tent Feels Good: Pay atten­tion to how dif­fer­ent types of con­tent make you feel. Don’t hes­i­tate to unfol­low accounts that leave you feel­ing neg­a­tive or anx­ious. Curate your feed with pos­i­tive, inspir­ing con­tent that sup­ports your men­tal well-being. 

• Iden­ti­fy Trig­gers and Find Healthy Cop­ing Strate­gies: Rec­og­nize what prompts end­less scrolling, whether it’s stress, bore­dom, or habit. Under­stand­ing these trig­gers can help you devel­op health­i­er cop­ing strate­gies, such as mind­ful­ness tech­niques, phys­i­cal activ­i­ties, or cre­ative out­lets that pro­vide emo­tion­al relief with­out dig­i­tal distractions. 

• Explore Diverse Activ­i­ties: Read­ing, out­door phys­i­cal activ­i­ties, art, or learn­ing new skills offer men­tal stim­u­la­tion and help cre­ate a bal­anced lifestyle. Expand­ing your leisure time beyond screens allows you to redis­cov­er what makes the phys­i­cal world so great. 

• Cre­ate a Healthy Sleep Envi­ron­ment: Make your bed­room a tech-free zone, use black­out cur­tains, and main­tain a cool, com­fort­able tem­per­a­ture to pro­mote bet­ter sleep. 

• Uti­lize Dig­i­tal Tools for Sup­port: Apps like med­i­ta­tion apps and vir­tu­al ther­a­py ses­sions pro­vide acces­si­ble ways to man­age stress, anx­i­ety, and depres­sion. Incor­po­rat­ing these tools into your dai­ly rou­tine can help you proac­tive­ly man­age your men­tal well-being. 

If you’re feel­ing over­whelmed by screen time and need extra sup­port, our Duly Behav­ioral and Men­tal Health providers are here to help. Sched­ule with a men­tal health provider today.

Remem­ber, it’s okay to take a step back and reassess your online habits. Whether it’s through a social media detox, set­ting bound­aries, or curat­ing your feed, even the small­est changes can make a big difference.