We all know that doomscrolling through Twitter feeds isn’t exactly doing wonders for our collective well-being. New research has finally lifted the lid on how detrimental our time spent on social media can be to our mental health.
An Iowa State University study conducted an experiment on 230 university students. This cohort was divided into two groups. The first was given free rein to use social media as they pleased, giving them uncapped access to the Pandora’s box of social media. The second was asked to limit their social media usage to just 30 minutes per day.
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The result? Those who managed to keep their scrolling down to half an hour noted huge improvements in their moods, with most scoring lower for depression, anxiety, loneliness and fear than those still hooked up to an unlimited supply of social media. They were also more likely to have a more optimistic outlook on life.
How to Cut Down Your Screentime
Untethering yourself from the proverbial Matrix can be daunting, especially if mindless scrolling has become a daily habit. But self-limiting can be easy to achieve, you’ll just have to be stricter with yourself (no excuses).
The authors of this study believe that tracking the amount of time you’re spending on social media can help you minimize how long you spend scrolling through feeds. An effective method is to schedule a 30-minute block to catch up with the latest and greatest memes on Twitter before X-ing out of your apps.
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However, if you think you’ll struggle to put a cap on your catch-ups, try some of these tips:
1. Turn Off Notifications
Those pesky notifications aren’t just distracting, but they’ll rope you right back into your scroll-athon. Thankfully, it’s relatively simple to hide most notifications (just check your settings on your phone to customize which apps can and can’t populate your home screen with cries for attention).
2. Try a “Less is More” Approach
With tons of social media platforms to choose from, most of us have bought into more than one. As a result, you might find yourself stuck in an endless loop of jumping from one app to the other. By trimming the fat and focusing on just a couple, you’ll be less inclined to waste precious time tapping through each option.
3. Or Download Just One More App
Plenty of apps are available to help you cut down on the time you spend staring at screens. One of our favourites is Forest, an app that offers rewards for keeping your hands off your phone. It cultivates virtual trees for every 20-minute interval during which you successfully resist the urge to give in to distractions.
