How to Do a Social Media Detox in 2023

Before you begin the detox, it’s helpful to know how much time you’re spending (some might say wasting) on these platforms.

Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube provide detailed stats on your activity, breaking down the number of hours in easy-to-understand terms. The info is typically located in the Settings section of an app.

As I’m writing this, for example, I can open Instagram on my iPhone, navigate to Settings and then Time Spent to see that I’ve averaged about 10 minutes per day on the app in the past week. You can find the same settings on an Android phone after tapping your profile photo.

That feels like a reasonable number to me, though it was probably higher in December when I was closely following the behind-the-scenes antics of the players at the World Cup.

Inside these “time spent” settings, you will also find tools that let you impose daily limits on your usage. Once you exceed your quota, the app will alert you, reminding you to call it a day.

Android and iOS phones offer similar tools and time-tracking functionality that cover all apps on your phone, not just social media.

If the usage numbers staring back at you seem excessive, it’s time to limit your exposure to some of the silliness that social media brings to your life.

Apps like Instagram and YouTube make it easy to see which accounts you’re following, and granular details such as which ones you interact with the most and which ones you’ve followed the longest. Use this information to inform your next move, unfollowing accounts that, to borrow a phrase from Marie Kondo, don’t “spark joy,” burying you with a cascade of low-quality content instead.

For me, YouTube was a huge time-sink. I lost countless hours watching video after video about the latest tech. Granted, I could sort of justify it as “work-related,” but there’s probably a limit to the number of Nvidia graphics card reviews even I need to consume.

Once you pare down the accounts you follow, you’re left with a better experience, without actually abandoning a platform altogether. Your Instagram feed is filled with fewer faceless brands and more friends and family. Facebook has fewer unhinged political rants from that guy you once met at a barbecue.

Let’s say you’ve conducted a thorough audit of the accounts you follow, but still find yourself glued to your phone. It’s time to consider deleting some apps, at least temporarily.

This removes the temptation to see how many Likes you’ve gotten in the past 8 seconds or if perhaps your favorite athlete has retweeted a funny meme. 

Don’t worry: Deleting the app from your phone does not delete your account. So go ahead and jettison Instagram during finals week or in the 48 hours before that big, first-quarter sales presentation, then reinstall it when you’re in the clear.

I found that Twitter was sucking up a huge portion of my time when it was on my phone. Now I only use the service on my desktop computer, which cuts way back on the mindless scrolling. It’s mostly just to follow soccer transfer rumors.

The best way to spend less time scrolling and more time living is to have something more fulfilling to do with your time.

In my case, I decided to get better at jogging, something I’ve been terrible at my whole life. 

“Get better” is relative, of course: I wasn’t trying to set any world records, just comfortably jog 1 mile, then 2, then 3, then my first 5K. Keeping track of my steadily improving VO₂ Max via my Apple Watch was a huge help.

David Morgan, a senior program manager for social media content at Consumer Reports, has been trying to cut back on his social media use, as well. He also likes the idea of swapping time spent on Twitter and Instagram for real-life activities.

“I find it helpful to have offline hobbies to counterbalance digital screen time,” he says. “I joined a billiards team this year, which takes me away from screens in a structured way. And because I spend so much time in front of screens for work, I prefer to read paper books rather than e-books on a Kindle.”

How well does all this work? Well, I’m more than a half-year into my social-media detox, and not once have I said to myself, “Gee, I wonder what’s trending on Twitter right now?”

I’m pretty sure you’ll feel the same way, too.

It’s nice to go on a bike ride without your phone buzzing about someone wanting to connect on LinkedIn. Brunch with friends is more enjoyable when you’re not glued to Instagram. (You actually get to talk and listen.) What will create more lasting memories: A Saturday at the local farmer’s market or reading random thoughts on, I don’t know, the refereeing in the World Cup final?

This is not to say that social media is pure evil and you should cut yourself off altogether. These services are fun and useful—they just don’t need to rule your life.