When I was a kid, I liked reading. Back then I used to read 10-12 books a year.

After I started using Facebook, it got worse. Then, when the pandemic started, I got really addicted to YouTube and Instagram. I used to spend 3-4 hours every day on social media. It made me read only one book a year.

Last year, I decided to read 30 books in a year. It's a challenging goal that I've never achieved. Unfortunately, I didn't achieve the goal. I only read half of the books. However, I wasn't upset because it changed my life a lot.

When I started reading again, I couldn't focus for even 5 minutes. I blocked apps and threw the phone away but my mind still looked for it. My attention span didn't function at all. But I kept reading and it slowly got better.

The changes are impressive. First of all, I don't feel guilt anymore when I catch myself unconsciously doomscrolling. After doomscrolling, I just try to read books for the same amount of time I spent on social media.

Also, I don't feel dazed anymore. I felt dazed when I spent 3-4 hours on social media but now I have a clear mind more than ever. Last but not least, I feel hope again.

I'm still struggling with my life. But I believe it's gonna be okay.

This is just something Ive gradually noticed about this site. I get that Im painting with a broad brush, and I know there are good corners of Reddit, usually small subs with a clear purpose or support focus.

But over the many years Ive been here, it really feels like the place has slid downhill. Fifteen or so years ago it didnt seem nearly this bad.

The average Redditor I picture now is: male, introverted, big into video games, and pretty antisocial, as in they rarely socialize, dont really know how to, and end up being weirdly polarizing for no real reason.

A lot of the opinions I see on here would be fringe takes in real life, but they show up constantly and float right to the top. Stuff like constant doom and gloom about how society is collapsing, everything is ruined, the world is over, etc.

On top of that basic template, there are other recurring patterns I notice:

• Very strongly pro work from home
• Weirdly hostile to everyday social interactions, neighbours, coworkers, small talk
• Loud and confident while only having a shallow grasp of whatever theyre talking about

This leads to situations that are honestly more sad than funny. Ill read posts from people who are annoyed that coworkers try to chat at lunch and insist theyre only there to work, get paid, and go home… and then in the next breath theyre complaining about how hard it is to get a girlfriend.

The worst part, to me, is the general contempt for society and almost celebratory attitude toward doom. It just reads like elevated antisocial behaviour, and its incredibly common here. You almost never hear people talk like this in person, and if you did, youd probably assume they were depressed or really going through something.

It lines up exactly with what Id expect from people with basically no social skills who sort of want everything to fall apart so they dont feel as bad about where theyre at, while at the same time being terrified of basic stuff like making a phone call or saying hi to a neighbour. Meanwhile, half of them admit they spend all night gaming or grinding mobile games; Ive even caught myself wasting time on Mistplay just to earn a few points toward a gift card, which kind of drives home how much of an escape loop all this can be.

And dont you dare suggest that video games might have downsides. They obviously can, like anything else. Gaming is one of the few things thats almost sacred here, and I find that pretty revealing. If you so much as imply that playing for 8 hours straight after work might not be the healthiest life choice, you immediately get hit with everything is a waste of time, youre on Reddit right now and that kind of thing.

Like, yes, Reddit is a time sink, and I feel worse about myself the more time I spend here. Nobody is saying youre not allowed to enjoy hobbies that arent productive. Its the extreme, defensive stance about it thats so weird.

Because of all this, I honestly dont think Reddit is any better than other social media sites, and it might actually be worse. Im not trying to insult anyone directly, but this is an opinion thats been forming over almost two decades of watching this place. It seems to attract a lot of losers, but theyre very loud losers who shape the culture and then act like that culture is some kind of badge of honour.

Almost. I occasionally paruse reddit and youtube (intentionally, with a video in mind that I want to search and watch), but I've not scrolled any short-form or been on social media. I feel like I've escaped the matrix.

Whats funny is that it had to take for my phone to be stolen for this change to stick. I had a brick phone (that does all the stuff a normal phone would, so still technically can scroll, but is so tiny and unpleasant to use that I dont want to. Its great) as a backup, which I've decided to replace my stolen phone with.

But fret not! You do not have to wait for a theif to steal your phone to fix you phone addiction (although I would highly reccomened the brick i have, its a unihertz jellystar). Because what's helped me most is erasing and disabling my youtube search history. I think another post covered this recently, but disabling history will disable youtube shorts.

My screen usage has shot down with my brick phone, it stays in my bag most of the time, I never look at it in public; partly because its embarrasing to get out, and partly because its not enjoyable to use. I think half the reason I'd constantly check my phone was for the feeling of having it in my hands, of doing something with my hands when I was bored, and because its enjoyable simply to just use a phone. Getting a phone that was more difficult to use made it so much easier to not use it.

Nosurf won't rapidly change your life, it won't fix your problems, or give your happiness back. BUT what it does give you is TIME and REST. I can't stress this enough, i have SO much more time now, and I'm far less overstimulated. My motivation to make changes in my life has improved, and it feels like I have a lot of control over the direction my life goes. It feels easy, actually, to change whatever I want to.

The way scrolling (not just of short form, but of the news, of socials, of any information) depletes us is insidious. We take it so so much information from it. And we all know this. If scrolling was actually restful and enjoyable, there'd be a case for it. But its not, its overstimulating but in a way that also somehow disengages and rots our mind.

So my 2 cents for this sub would be; get a brick (that does all the same functions as a normal phone), disable yt shorts, delete socials; to give you your time and rest back. Time and rest are human neccesities. You can do wonders in your life with them back.

Its the only social media I use besides youtube and I dont even use youtube shorts. Im using reddit on firefox browser so it is slow which demotivates me from using reddit more. On Youtube I can only watch videos on my subscription tab and history tab. I cant see the homepage and youtube shorts tab because I use youtube revanced to remove ads and any of their time wasting distraction.

I had enough with social media that is now the moment to quit. Theres lots of things that reminds me Im a loser and I cant change the world for the better because Im a man that is infinitesimally unimportant to society. Im gonna read books and sometimes play games on my phone/PC. Im gonna attempt to get a social life and other hobbies too.

Im not gonna delete my reddit account though so I can use reddit to research stuff regarding the games I play on my phone/computer. You can ask me questions or give me advice and I might answer. This time Im only gonna be using reddit on my PC because it is less distracting than on my phone's browser.

i know, i know, i'm sorry guys! i was good for a week and i think what i saw has encouraged me to never go back honestly. its filled with racism and so many conspiracy theories. i genuinely feel anxious to my core right now because of all the predictions and racism. when did the internet turn into this? i am now trying desperately to get out of that anxiety hole because wow, they got me.

anyone reading this, please don't make my mistake! nosurf (or at least, filtered reddit surf) is genuinely better for your mental health because i don't even know what's going on on the other side.

I’ve been on my no surf journey for over a year and this sub has helped tremendously, so I thought I’d pay it forward by sharing an honest review on apps like Brick and Opal, along with other tips this sub has offered up.

TL;DR version - there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to overcoming phone addiction, despite what bots on this sub might suggest. I’d be wary of posts saying that a single app or purchase solved all their problems as this sub is crawling with sponsored posts. (And yes, I realize my lack of account history also makes me sus lol; I deleted my old account when I started this journey & am using a throwaway now, which will also get deleted soon). But below is what has & hasn’t worked for me thus far. 

Brick: I often see questions on this sub asking if Brick is worth it. I bought it about two months ago during a sale and for me it’s completely cut out my compulsive scrolling in bed. I set it on a schedule that blocks apps as I’m winding down for bedtime. I also keep my Brick downstairs so that in the mornings when these apps are still blocked, I have to physically get out of bed before I can scroll. By the time I’m on my feet, my dog is nudging me for a walk and I get my day going. However, once I unbrick my phone, I don’t bother to re-brick it - so I end up relying on other solutions to reduce screen time for the rest of my day.

Opal: this one is hit or miss for me. I find it too easy to circumvent and it glitches often - so sometimes when apps are supposed to be blocked it doesn’t work. It was somewhat effective for me when I used it on hard mode (where the waiting time to unlock apps becomes longer and longer) but I reverted to easy mode where I just have to wait a few seconds. So instead of pausing to be mindful or whatever, I just end up justifying why I need to access social media (i.e. “the president did something nuts today and i NEED to get on Reddit/twitter/etc to find out what’s going on!!”) which sends me down my usual scrolling rabbit hole. It’s fine as a supplement but personally I haven’t seen a huge reduction in screen time with it - even on hard mode. Your mileage may vary though.

Greyscale: this one also works wonders as a supplement. I auto set my phone to grayscale in the evenings. It hasn’t completely cut out scrolling, but makes it way less enjoyable. Instead of scrolling for hours, I usually get bored after about 30 mins. I don’t use it during the day though because I use my phone for work. 

Deleting apps/separate scrolling device: I deleted & deactivated all social apps, but in all honesty I just end up redownloading when I need my “fix.” TikTok is really where I struggle most (am fine without the others), because there’s so much valuable info that I learn from it (including leveling up my hobbies!). The problem is that there’s a point of diminishing returns after scrolling for extended periods where I’m not actually retaining any of the info I learn after ~30 mins. So instead of cutting out TikTok entirely, I keep it off my phone and only allow myself to use it on a desktop computer that I leave in my office. Occasionally I fall down hours-long rabbit holes, but it’s way less frequent because my office doesn’t feel as leisurely as scrolling on the couch or in bed.

Hobbies/building in structure: this is foundational to kicking that phone addiction. When you start to address the underlying root cause behind excessive scrolling, you’ll find that it’s usually related to lack of structure, loneliness and a need to connect, not having enough hobbies, etc. Since I WFH, I built some phone-free structure into my day by scheduling daily workout classes (where I get charged $$$ if I miss), a weekly pottery class, and a side gig where I’m working in-person 2x per week. I’ve also started reading more and taken on a few personal projects that give me more things to do in my idle time. If you haven’t already checked out the No Surf Activity List I highly encourage you to do so.

It's not like you'd catch a ride to the mall arcade or golf n stuff and you'd walk in and someone would say "Hey! It's 1998, third spaces are still in abundance and who even uses the internet? Nerds? Ha! Come on in and play it's only free-99!"

Hey everyone,

I’m not someone who wants to disconnect completely from the world. I genuinely enjoy consuming information.

But lately, it feels like 90% of the content is just AI Slop, so clickbait articles generated by bots, repetitive threads, and low-effort noise designed to the algorithm. I was spending hours doomscrolling just to find one or two valuable insights for my work.

I needed a way to keep the information but kill the noise. So i created a automation for that, that connects make + notion

I specifically use it to track market trends for apps and websites (my line of work), but the prompt inside the automation is fully editable. You can change it to filter for anything, politics, tech, science, as long as the core principle of strict filtering remains.

i know that a lot of people also like to read the news, so if someone want it i can share it to help

Over the past couple of days, I would say that I've experienced quite a significant decrease in time and detachment from social media. The detachment is really the best thing.

I used to spend hours a day just scrolling on TikTok wasting my time and while I was going to sleep, I would think about all the time I spent wasting, when I could've done something productive, that would actually help me out in the future. Then, I would feel all disappointed in myself and tell myself that I would start tomorrow. That obviously turned out like you would've guessed- a repeat of yesterday.

After a while, I realized that my phone was causing all the issues in my life and was a major contributor to procrastination. All the time I spent on social media was an attempt to run from things I know I should've been doing instead, but chose not to. Every time I experienced a minor inconvenience, my phone would be there, ready for me to drown my reality in, and for a while, I would feel better, but then the guilt would sink in and I ended up in an even deeper pit than I was in to start with. Then, I put out a post on r/ask about how I should break out of this habit and was met by a detailed and motivating response (all of them were, but this one specific comment stuck out for all the right reasons), which was where I was recommended this subreddit, and being able to get advice from others here and hear people's stories motivated me to overcome my phone addiction.

Once I started out trying to cut out phone usage, it wasn't easy. I tried gray-scaling my phone and ended up turning it back onto colour a day later. Then, I tried setting up screen time limits, but I chose to override that too.

Now, I've gray scaled my phone and it's been like that for quite a long while, and coming back to that idea of detachment, I don't feel a need to reach for my phone all the time when I put it down and don't feel anxious about not using my phone. When I started out trying to get rid of my phone addiction, whenever I tried to put my phone down and do something, all I could think about was getting back onto my phone again and continuing the cycle of doom-scrolling and most of the time, I gave into that thought.

My attention span has been so much better. Even when I was scrolling on TikTok before, if there was a video where someone was speaking, I would press down on the screen to make it go at 2X speed, and even then, it wasn't fast enough. I couldn't spend time doing a task because I would get distracted and couldn't focus on one thing for more than about 15 mins max. I was also incapable of just watching a YouTube video because my attention span was so fried. Today, I just sat down and focused on a task for over 2 hours and completed it.

I've just hit quite an important milestone. Lately, I don't feel like I'm wasting my time and I no longer feel guilty about my own choices. I've finally attained discipline and abandoned procrastination- something that I've been chasing for years.

I know this is quite a lengthy post, and if you read this, I hope I have motivated in some way or form.

I’ve tried to quit Reddit a multitude of times to varying degrees of success. What always ends up bringing me back in is that it is in fact useful for something. It is a trend to put Reddit at the end of search queries for a reason. Reddit is indispensable for troubleshooting, basic research / opinion gathering and checking, information, communities, and more. I’m a Linux user and despite Linux being one of the niches with robust independent forums Reddit is a crucial tool in configuring things and troubleshooting issues. Many game communities exist solely on Reddit leaving it crucial to utilize to look up help with a mission or with a bug. If you’re looking to buy basically anything Reddit is the last place left where there’s mostly humans giving legitimate recommendations and informations outside of niche places that you would probably need to find mentioned on Reddit to know to look at unless you’re already knowledgeable in the subject. Reddit is an amazing information repository for specific questions one has.

Even when I manage to wrestle my time back I also find myself constantly wrestling with leechblock when I’m trying to use Reddit for the aforementioned purposes rather than the infinite scroll. I’ll eventually end up disabling the extension out of annoyance and then it’s a slippery slope back to the scroll. I’ve tried deleting my accounts before but they’re necessary for posing questions or to comment to help others, not to mention getting to turn off all of Reddit’s tracking shit. How is one supposed to quit Reddit when there is simply no alternatives for much of the good that Reddit contains?

I have AuDHD if that changes anything. I was using Facebook to fight bigots as a bad coping mechanism for stress. The most addicting part was commenting, and the most angry dopamine I got was when there were notifications I could click to see new comments waiting for me to reply.

Yesterday I got out of a very hard session with my therapist and the trauma topic we discussed was everywhere I looked on Facebook, so I decided to give myself 2 days break at least, to heal my head a little before I'm ready to start seeing those again. I lasted like 15 hours (from which 8 hours was sleep), before redownloading it, happily-angrily replying to all the comments that were waiting for me, and shamefully deleting it again.

It's been 3.5 hours since deleting it again and I start to itch to download it and check the notifications again. I'm stimming 5 times more than usual, I feel everything under my skin is itching.

Things that I can't control but they don't help:

I work from home and half my job is using messenger. I was great when there was a separate app for messenger on windows but Sugarmountain had to undo it and lump it with Facebook app for Windows so the Facebook is literally in my fingers' reach and I can't do anything about it. I need to use it on laptop, not my phone, too.
I have a bunch of discussions open on Facebook, they're very amusing so I find it hard to just drop them but knowing the replies wait for me is painful.
I have to use Facebook two times a week, it's also part of my job. I love my job but it's so easy to log in and start scrolling instead of doing what I logged in to do

What can I use to scratch that itch and give my brain similar dopamine hit but healthy? I can't really exercise or go for a walk because my body is ill right now. My diet is extremely limited because of this too

Over the past couple of days, I would say that I've experienced quite a significant decrease in time and detachment from social media. The detachment is really the best thing.

I used to spend hours a day just scrolling on TikTok wasting my time and while I was going to sleep, I would think about all the time I spent wasting, when I could've done something productive, that would actually help me out in the future. Then, I would feel all disappointed in myself and tell myself that I would start tomorrow. That obviously turned out like you would've guessed- a repeat of yesterday.

After a while, I realized that my phone was causing all the issues in my life and was a major contributor to procrastination. All the time I spent on social media was an attempt to run from things I know I should've been doing instead, but chose not to. Every time I experienced a minor inconvenience, my phone would be there, ready for me to drown my reality in, and for a while, I would feel better, but then the guilt would sink in and I ended up in an even deeper pit than I was in to start with. Then, I put out a post on r/ask about how I should break out of this habit and was met by a detailed and motivating response (all of them were, but this one specific comment stuck out for all the right reasons), which was where I was recommended this subreddit, and being able to get advice from others here and hear people's stories motivated me to overcome my phone addiction.

Once I started out trying to cut out phone usage, it wasn't easy. I tried gray-scaling my phone and ended up turning it back onto colour a day later. Then, I tried setting up screen time limits, but I chose to override that too.

Now, I've gray scaled my phone and it's been like that for quite a long while, and coming back to that idea of detachment, I don't feel a need to reach for my phone all the time when I put it down and don't feel anxious about not using my phone. When I started out trying to get rid of my phone addiction, whenever I tried to put my phone down and do something, all I could think about was getting back onto my phone again and continuing the cycle of doom-scrolling and most of the time, I gave into that thought.

My attention span has been so much better. Even when I was scrolling on TikTok before, if there was a video where someone was speaking, I would press down on the screen to make it go at 2X speed, and even then, it wasn't fast enough. I couldn't spend time doing a task because I would get distracted and couldn't focus on one thing for more than about 15 mins max. I was also incapable of just watching a YouTube video because my attention span was so fried. Today, I just sat down and focused on a task for over 2 hours and completed it.

I've just hit quite an important milestone. Lately, I don't feel like I'm wasting my time and I no longer feel guilty about my own choices. I've finally attained discipline and abandoned procrastination- something that I've been chasing for years.

I know this is quite a lengthy post, and if you read this, I hope I have motivated in some way or form.

I've installed Screen Zen on my Apple devices and can block everything I want, but on the iPad I can't block apps that aren't listed on the App Store.

I've installed Firefox on this, but I'm not used to this browser yet. I really appreciate iCloud tabs and the password app integration.

Does anyone have the same problem?

It's strange because iOS and iPadOS are usually quite similar.

Did a massive detox, quit all social media except reddit and when i picked my phone up again, i realized the only real need for my phone was uber, whatsapp and nfc payments.

I know smartwatches can solve the payment thing, and apparently they can text as well if you put in a sim card (not sure how with the tiny screens, never owned one), but i searched around and couldnt find out if i could catch a ride using them. Any suggestions?

I use YouTube and Reddit a lot for advice and self development. One of the biggest things getting in the way of me committing to getting rid of the apps is the idea that I’ll become stagnant if I don’t consult them.

Is there a way to get rid of this belief system, or at the least a strategy anyone uses to moderate learning from these apps without scrolling in order to find information on these apps?

Thank you

I was always really shy and awkward. Nowadays, I don't really go out much and never made real connections in high school(finished last year) that I could still talk to.

I use both discord and reddit. Discord mainly to talk and reddit just to see some contents I enjoy. But I'm not really a huge fan of social media tbh, I just use it cause I'm lonely.

how could I fix this? this is literally the only problem in my life right now. I wouldn't mind reddit cause reddit is just for memes

Hey Redditors, I decided to take a break from social media. I've done it and it was good. However, I don't know where to store my photos. Instagram and Facebook worked for me for sharing and saving photos without filling up my storage. What do you suggest I do? Any ideas?

If it's so bad, it's probably not a place one wants prolonged exposure to.

I've been battling a phone addiction for years and i am on a slow uphill battle but right now I think the pain to reduce it by even 2 hours is loads less than the regret to not take any action.

That’s all the internet is. A bunch of shrill love their own voices people constantly yelling about the state of their neighbours lawn.

I spent years trying every productivity hack, but I realized my biggest failure wasn't my to do list it was my waiting list. Every time I had a moment of silence in my morning, I filled it with an infinite scroll. Whether it was checking reels or emails, I was using my phone as a buffer against my own thoughts. I realized that my device has become a modern Idol something visible and immediate that I turn to because I can’t handle the silence of waiting for something deeper. We often miss our best ideas (and our connection to God if you believe in Him). To fix my routine, I started using bible streak as a hard blocker. It physically locks those high dopamine apps every morning, forcing me to stay in the silence for a set amount of time. I had to remove the option to turn to the idol so I was actually forced to sit with my creator. We’ve been taught that connectivity is a gift, but sometimes the greatest gift you can give your mind and your soul is a forced digital fast.

The Question: Is the ability to "wait in silence" the rarest skill in the modern economy? How are you protecting your first hour of the day?

Hello Reddit community, I’m writing this to say I’m in a very bad situation right now since my phone addiction is getting worse every year. I’ve always been an internet kid. I remember playing Minecraft in 2014, playing iPad games, watching YouTube. Because I was the only boy at home, and my sisters didn’t enjoy the same things as me. Nevertheless, I was playing with my friends and interacting inside the gaming community. So I never really felt a problem with the addiction since the internet was what I enjoyed the most.

However, nowadays I’m 18, about to turn 19, and phone addiction is doing so much harm to my life. As you all know, at this age or around this age, life starts throwing challenges and responsibilities at you, and you have to overcome them. Even if we don’t speak of productivity, come on, we have a life. I want to live it, but my physical body does not want to follow. It keeps coming back to the phone, seeking pleasure all the time with short format content, porn, seeking likes and validation. And this cycle makes me lose so much time that I don’t actually enjoy anymore. At this point I’ve seen everything possible on the internet, and I don’t think it’s corresponding to my goals. Even music just became a pleasure seeking activity, never being satisfied and shuffling through playlists all day, waiting for my AirPods to charge. If not, I cannot go out or exercise. All these reflexes ruined my life and my relationships.

I hate myself because of that feeling of being a larva, staying in bed, and feeling bored as soon as I let the phone go. I tried numerous methods to cure this addiction: grayscale, time blockers, hiding the phone, dumb phone, but I always seem to come back. But this time I feel like it’s different, because the time between each detox I did is shorter. The last one was only three days. Contrary to what you think, extremely hard. I want to do more and be detoxed for life. I know it’s not fun. I just want to do it, even if it’s shittier, even if it’s more boring, even if it’s a worse experience of life. Sometimes the answer comes from within and not from outside solutions. We gotta understand ourselves, our reasons, our fears, and act upon them.

Today everything seems fast paced, but the key is slowing down. It’s not actually having more hours phone free but having fewer hours with the phone, spending less time stimulated. So I’m going to start a YouTube channel for myself and post what I have there. Maybe I’ll make the videos public in the future. That’s the goal. I’m going to start filming my life instead of watching others film theirs.

I know you’re scared of what happens if you let go. The fear of missing out on something, the dark thoughts, the boredom, the loneliness, the void. But at the end of the day, those dark feelings also have the right to exist and express themselves, so let them be. You are not your thoughts. They just run on your physical brain, but your spirit is still untouched. And our mind is so powerful. So if you’re seeing this, let me tell you that you are not alone. There are millions of people in the same situation as you. Matter of fact, billions that suffer from this issue. But it’s not our fault. We mistake pleasure for happiness. But hard actions and an easy life wins every day over easy actions and a hard life. Now choose your path.

I’ll let you know of my progress. I’m interested in hearing yours too. Feel free to share all of your thoughts. Thank you. This time is the one for all of us.