How To Quit Social Media Addiction

How To Get Help For A Teen

How to Break Your Social Media Addiction

Although it is recommended to give your teen a say regarding treatment, assuming the teen is a minor, the parent/guardian has authority to make the final decision. Beyond treatment, it is imperative that parents/guardians work collaboratively with the teen every step of the way. This includes actively participating in treatment, maintaining boundaries in the home, talking through problems, and leading by example. If your teens behavior is not monitored at home, then it is likely that theyll return to their problematic use.

Make Social Media A Treat

Look at social media as a treat. You might not buy an artisanal coffee every day or get your nails done every week, but you may reward yourself with these kinds of small treats when you feel like you deserve it. So think of social media in the same way: only allow yourself screen time when you’ve achieved something or you’ve done something productive first. This way you might change the way you think about social media. Once upon a time, you would log on and off rather than constantly staying up to date with everything thats going on try to return to this mindset.

The Benefits Of Social Media Block

Source: Luxafor

The most obvious benefit is regaining back the amount of time I would otherwise spend on social media and thus becoming more productive.

Another great benefit of this experiment was the ability to inspire my colleagues to block socials as well implement social media limitations into our company culture.

I also caught myself being more aware of things and people around me. This was a very beneficial discovery, as I constantly strive to become more mindful.

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What Are Dopamine Feedback Loops

Our brain is designed to learn behaviors it finds rewarding it is an ancient survival mechanism.

Typically, the things that give pleasure would have allowed our ancestors to survive in the wild. E.g., sugar is a good source of energy and hence, our body has evolved to find sugar pleasurable.

Furthermore, our brain wants us to do the pleasurable things again and again, and it does so by releasing a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which is the brains desire chemical. If an action causes dopamine release, our brain wants us to do it again that simple.

Think of it this way: D for dopamine, D for desire .

Now see what happens:

An action leads to the feeling of reward which leads to dopamine release which leads to more of the same action .

This is the dopamine feedback loop.

But it works not just for eating sugar but anything that we find pleasurable or which gives us a sense of achievement. Our brain finds these things rewarding and hence, releases dopamine.

And incidentally, one of the things our brain finds rewarding is excitement and novelty. Every time you see a social media notification, or a new post, you see something novel and unexpected. Since checking the smartphone delivers excitement and novelty, it creates the following dopamine feedback loop:

Incidentally, this dopamine loop is also triggered in response to substance use and gambling , which cause a dopamine spike. This is how the loop works:

Warning Signs Of Social Media Addiction

For most people, social media is a fun activity but for others it can become an unhealthy obsession. How do you know when your social media use or the behavior of someone you care about has become problematic? Here are some common warning signs that your relationship with social media may be spiraling out of control:

Frequently thinking about social media and planning how and when to use it next.
Needing to spend more and more time on social networking sites to find the same level of pleasure.
Attempting to control, cut down or stop spending time on social media, without success.
Feeling irritable, restless or anxious when unable to use social media.
Experiencing unpleasant physical and emotional symptoms when social media use is restricted or stopped.
Using social media to forget about or cope with personal problems.
Engaging with social media so much that it has a negative impact on work or school.
Unable to stop scrolling through social media during other activities such as eating out with friends, watching a movie at the cinema or even while driving.
Losing interest in all other hobbies and pastimes.
Quickly reverting to excessive use of social media after a period of abstinence.

Get immediate help for you or a loved ones social media addiction. Book a free Gameplan call now to learn if our program is the right fit for you.

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Social Media Addiction And The Negative Outcomes

In the past few years, it has become increasingly common to see companies and brands posting regularly on social media. This is especially true among younger generations. These social media platforms have become so popular that they have also been referred to as social media.

One of the main reasons why people are posting on social media is because they want to be able to share their thoughts with others in a more timely manner. This has become particularly important for young people who want to stay connected with friends and family members around the world, but who don’t have time for traditional methods of communication.

It’s important not to forget that social media isn’t just about sharing your thoughts and opinions with your peers it’s also about building relationships with other people. If you’re trying to build a strong brand image, then certainly you should use social media effectively .

However, there is something wrong when using social media in a way that makes you feel like you’re only being seen by strangers. Sometimes it feels like we are mere footnotes in someone else’s life story: our lives will be written by them, not by us. And this can lead to problems like addiction.

Youll Develop More Emotional Intelligence

Ditching social media may not only make you a nicer person, but it could also help you develop your emotional intelligence, a valuable skill in the workplace. But it does require that you, yes, interact with other human beings. When were on a computer screen for hours a day, then were removing the possibility of having face-to-face interaction and were reducing our emotional intelligence, Kersting says. Lifting your head from the screen and having real conversations can increase the quality of your relationships and help you develop this critical skill.

Joanne Cantor, PhD, professor emerita of communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of the book Conquer CyberOverload

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Experiment #: Complete Removal Of Social Sites For 30 Days

My first experiment was a complete removal of all social aspects from my routine: no Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn for 30 days. Leading up to it, I raised objectionsbut I need Facebook for my work!, my brain sputtered, in a testament to the addictive power of the apps.

I logged out of each site and deleted all the apps from my phone. Then, I used Freedom, a website blocking tool, to restrict the social sites from my browser and phone. Finally, I had my partner take over my phone and install parental restrictions on browser sites with a password unknown to me.

The Results. Once I decided to go all-in, it was surprisingly easier to do than expected. There was a relief in being offline and deciding, once and for all, to do it. Heres what I learned:

After the experiment was over, I went back to allowing myself unlimited social media access and continued to track my usage using RescueTime. With a fresh perspective after a month away, I was able to more clearly see a pattern emerge around how I used the various sites, both for better and for worse. My key finding was the marked difference in my behaviors across devices: My laptop wasnt the biggest culprit for addictive behavior: when I was at my desk, working, I spent the majority of my time actually working. My phone was the biggest culprit for addictive behavior.

Why Is Social Media So Addictive

Quit social media | Dr. Cal Newport | TEDxTysons

Variable reward system

Just like any other addiction, social media addiction is one that operates on a variable-reward system . This system is defined as when someone will receive a reward or some kind of satisfaction when they do a certain action, however, they will not always receive that reward. Thus, they donât always know when that good feeling will come next, so they keep repeating the action in hopes of experiencing that reward again. Think of it like gambling: once you win a little bit, you will keep trying to get that win again no matter how long it takes.

The neuroscience of social media addiction

This variable-reward system is essential to social mediaâs addictive nature. In comparison to non-social media addicts, the reward system areas of the brain are more sensitive and more active in people with symptoms of this addiction . Essentially, these rewarding experiences on social media generate dopamine in our brains. Eventually, our brains become trained in wanting to check social media in order to experience this dopamine over and over again .

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Enjoy Your Digital Detox

Theres no magic formula for breaking your social media habit. In fact, its pretty hard work!

However, by blocking apps, rewarding yourself for cutting down, taking pride in your newfound productivity, and reconnecting with the non-virtual world youre more likely to severe your addiction to social media for good.

What are your favorite tips for setting a limit to your social media use? Let us know in the comments!

Be Strict About Limiting Your Time

First and foremost, you should restrict your time on social media. In the very beginning it is best to abstain altogether. Once the timing is appropriate, social media may be used but in extremely limited quantities. A time frame of 15 minutes is appropriate to avoid returning to a problem.9 Using a timer, social media limiting app, or someone to monitor your use is recommended at this point.

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What Happens When You Quit Social Media

Here are some things, both positive and negative, that you might experience when you quit social media:

A few days of anxiety. Using social media releases dopamine, a feel-good chemical in your brain. When you stop getting as much dopamine, it can take a few days for your brain to adjust, and you may feel anxiety.
Reduced stress. While using social media releases dopamine, it also releases cortisol, the stress hormone. When you stop using social media, youâll feel less stressed.
Increased productivity. Whether itâs work, homework, or a creative pursuit, you will have more time and attention for other activities and be more productive.
Improved sleep.Endlessly scrolling through your favorite app before bedtime can take away time from your sleep schedule. Keeping your phone and other electronics out of the bedroom can help improve your sleep.

Social Media Addiction Signs

How to stop social media addiction from stealing your attention?

Social media addiction is no easy thing to quantify, but there are some very clear signs check off how many of these signs of social media addiction you are guilty of.

How many were applicable to you? If you recognised yourselves in any of these signs, dont be alarmed. In fact, many of us will find ourselves exhibiting behaviour patterns and tendencies of someone addicted to social media, and all of these have a negative impact on our health and wellbeing.

So what can we do? Beating social media addiction is not something that can be done overnight it requires a reevaluation of your digital-life balance, and this is something personal to you. However, whilst only you can figure this out, there are some steps you can take to reduce your use of and dependency on social media, and to help you take control back from the tiny tyrant that is the smartphone.

Be Meticulous About Who You Follow And What You Post And Share

A business that is not careful about who it chooses to follow and what it chooses to share could end up with a huge social media footprint. A good example of this problem is the company that called attention to the fact that they were following as many people as possible on social media. This proved to be a mistake the company ended up having a huge amount of followers and even had a significant number of posts shared.

So, make sure youre paying attention to who you choose to follow or share, and what you share or post on your social accounts. If you want something really specific in your social media footprints, look for companies that have highly engaged audiences on Twitter and Facebook.

Purge Your Friends And Follow Lists

Its difficult to purge your friends and follow lists because social media makes us feel connected. People have this sense of not wanting to miss out, Potter says. We think that if we make the connection, we might need them at some point.

Nevertheless, theres no harm in going through your social media contact lists and hitting the delete button, especially after youve asked yourself these three questions:

Do you know them in real life? Do they add positive value to your life? Are they a trigger?

If youve answered NO, NO and YES, hitting the delete, unfriend, or unfollow button can help make a difference to your long-term health and well-being.

Heres how to .

Break Free From Social Media Addiction With This 3

Over the years I had built a strong habit of checking the latest trends on Twitter, my friends news feeds on FacebookAnd we all know how it ends: you go on Twitter for 2 seconds and BOOM 30 minutes later: you are watching a How-to-train-your-cat video on Youtube, and you dont even own a cat!

Kristian, the CEO of Luxafor company, is sharing his experience with trying to quit social media.

Disadvantages Of Addiction To Social Media

How to stop internet/ social media addiction forever, the root cause revealed!

1. Social Media is time consuming as you could spend your whole day on Social Media being entertained and chatting with some friends.

Ways To Overcome Social Media Addiction

2. Social Media reduces productivity because when you spend so much time on Social Media, by default you will be less productive as the time you ought to use to do something reasonable will be devoured by Social Media.

3. Social Media is a potent took of distraction especially for Students who are social media addicts, as such Student will rather come online instead of concentrating on reading their books and when a Teacher is teaching they will always be on their phone.

4. One negative effect of Social Media is its increased low self esteem amongst active users when they see pictures of their mates flexing or living a fake life. This may therefore prompt such a person to indulge in a malapropos act to keep up with the flexing trend on Social Media or alternatively could get such a person feeling down and less inferior to their mates.

5. Social Media facilitates Cyberbullying as active users of Social Media are often victims of backlash, dragging and unprovoked insults which could lead to depression. Moreso, general users of Social Media are often victims of fake and hostile information usually spread across Social Media.

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Top 7 Tips For Quitting Social Media

Are you ready to take your life back? Here are some tips for quitting social media:

Delete all your social media apps from your phone. If you arenât ready to give up social media completely, you can still access the sites from your computer, but taking them off your phone should help limit how much time you spend on social media.
Leave all electronic devices out of your bedroom. Find something to do before bed that doesnât involve a screen, like reading a book or exercising, and invest in an old-fashioned alarm clock if you rely on your phone as an alarm.
Shut off your phone or at least social media notifications during school, work, eating, spending time with other people, or performing activities that require your full attention.
Only allow yourself a certain amount of time on social media each day, and use a timer to know when itâs time to switch it off.
Find a hobby not related to technology, such as art, sports, cooking, reading, and more.
Spend time with friends and family in person when and how itâs safe, using social distancing measures if appropriate.
Seek professional help. A licensed therapist can help you quit and stay off social media if youre struggling to do it on your own. Its important to know that its ok to ask for help and that your odds of success and finding happiness go up when you get a mental health professional involved.

What Is Social Media

Social Media is a Computer based Technology usually an application or a Website which permits its users to create and share contents, transmit information, and send messages to one another.There are a couple of Social Media platforms, notably: WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Tik Tok, Snapchat, Facebook, Blogs, Podcast, and Telegram which all currently ranks as the most popular and used Social Media platforms.

How to End Social Media Addiction and Protect Your Mental Health

These platforms are widely used because of the numerous advantages associated with making use of them.

Also see: Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet