One Sec
Clearly I have a problem with my phone addiction. Short of deleting the apps, I’ve found that moderation is more of my style rather than a cold turkey decision. So it was nice when I got targeted on Twitter with an ad for an app called One Sec which essentially blocks you from opening the apps you want to stay away from, with a countdown timer asking you to breathe in and a prompt that asks if you’re sure you want to open the app.
I had a Twitter problem (social media in general, but Twitter mostly) and so this was a good first step. And for the first couple of days, it worked. From 6+ hours on the app (not even my entire phone, just the app) — The doom scroll is real I managed to bring it down to less than 30 minutes which is insane.
So i figured I’d go all in and paid for a subscription — that way I could add other apps and suggest “healthier” alternatives to just doom scrolling. And though it’s only been a couple of months, I’m quite happy with how I’ve been able to limit my social media consumption.
I’ve gotten it to under 30 minutes per app thus far and I’d like to go down even further but I’ve got a long way to go. I’ve learned a couple of things though:
If I get up from bed without checking social media, I’ll be ok. I know the trigger is a doom scroll in bed right before work so not picking it up for social media when I wake up is a great help.
So far, it’s Twitter that was the biggest culprit so I installed the BBC app to get my news. Do I miss the hot takes and all the stupid memes? I really do, but so far, I’ve survived and I’ll try to keep this up.
Desktop versions of the social media sites are NOT AS ADDICTIVE. This is amazing news because I can still answer messages but scrolling on a desktop is not the same feel as a mobile device, so this is a good epiphany.
Im not as addicted to Tiktok but that’s only because I just don’t open it unless Macy sends me messages that I only check like once a month.
Will this social purge last? I hope so. I’ve been able to read more and get to jump start my mornings easier now, but I know I’ll slide back in a fit of sadness. How is everyone’s social media screen time?
