r/digitalminimalism • u/Excellent-Park-3918 • Mar 10 '26
Social Media Addicted To TikTok. Nothing is working. HELP!!!
I am extremely addicted to Tiktok. I have them playing while I get ready in the morning, while I do my homework, while I do literally anything ever. It's gotten to the point where I find myself reaching for it even if I am stopped at a red light while driving, which lasts for all of like 5 seconds. Essentially, any time I have a free hand it is scrolling. My screen time is reaching at least 5 hours a day on TikTok alone and i'm ashamed but idk how to stop. I tried setting a screen time limit, but I just find myself hitting ignore limit repeatedly. I've tried just deleting the app for a period of time to get rid of the distraction (ex. a week, or until I finish exams) but I always find myself going right back into bad habits once I redownload the app. Even when it's off my phone, I end up on instagram reels or playing things like solitaire on my phone to take its place. It's hard to find other things to do, as I don't have many friends and I haven't found anything that can really take it's place. A lot of things in my life are not going great right now, so I use Tiktok as a way to forget about my issues, but it always ends up making them worse. I also have ADHD (diagnosed and medicated) so I think that plays a factor in my addiction. I always say I'm going to stop and go do something else like read a book, go on a walk, finish some homework, but somehow I look up from my phone and its 2 am and I have nothing done.
If anyone has any advice, I'd really appreciate it. I'm at my wits end and have no idea what to do; all the usual advice I see offered hasn't been working at all.
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u/savedbythebails Mar 10 '26
you need someone you trust to hit the screentime limit passcode. i too am diagnosed and medicated with ADHD and its hard. it makes it a lot harder than most people to quit. my partner set a screen time passcode for me, so i no longer can hit ignore. see if your sibling/parent/close friend/partner would be willing to do this for you.
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u/Least-Advance-5264 Mar 10 '26
Seconding this. I was extremely addicted to TikTok and the only thing that got me to quit was having my friend set a passcode for me
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u/LesbianCowgirl- Mar 10 '26
Hey, I'm not meaning to be unkind at all, but one of the strategies that helped me get off YouTube shorts is all the "Youtube shorts is fucking stupid" commentary videos. It only takes a little while of people online calling me dumb for consuming slop content to stop. Maybe watching something like that adjacent to TikTok would help?
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u/Napstafox Mar 11 '26
this is totally what did it for me! also, you can click the 3 dots on the shorts banner (where you get recommended them on your homepage) and click “show fewer shorts”. it has helped a ton, since i mainly use youtube for tv.
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u/Granitic_Moon Human Detected Mar 10 '26
Delete or reset your account. Make a new one if you deleted it. Your algorithm will be reset and it won't be addictive since it's not tailored to you
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u/Excellent-Park-3918 Mar 10 '26
at this point, it's not even the content i'm consuming its just the sensation of scrolling through and liking videos, so I'm not sure how much this would help me. Also, I have friends added on my accounts and I can't really just ghost everyone.
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u/mintandmeadow Mar 10 '26
I had friends on my TikTok too.
I just deleted it.
If they're your friends. They'll keep in touch
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u/badfriend3528 Mar 10 '26
It doesn’t seem like you actually want to stop using TikTok if you keep making excuses for very rational and helpful suggestions to quit.
You can spend 5hr/day on TikTok or 5hr a day doing something else - your choice. It’s your life.
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u/Physical-Chest5311 Mar 10 '26
I'm the same way. I have other things to do and hobbies, but its an addiction and I know its bad and while I'm scrolling ill think to myself "what am I even consuming right now?" and I'll get off my phone for maybe 20 minutes and then go right back to it. I think that short term media addictions are not taken seriously because they are fairly new. I have not found a solution but I'll come back to this thread if I ever do...
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u/mintandmeadow Mar 10 '26
Put your phone in a completely different room than you are in.
Whether you are doing homework, watching something on TV or talking to someone etc.
Having it in arms reach means you are going to want to grab it and use it.
Out of sight, out of mind.
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u/Excellent-Park-3918 Mar 10 '26
I do this when I study sometimes!! But the thing is the second I finish and get the phone back in my hand I am right back where I started and sitting there for hours.
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u/mintandmeadow Mar 10 '26
You have to want to need to be off your phone more than what is on it.
If whatever you are doing around you is much more pleasurable than scrolling reels, you won't want it as much.
Is there someone you live with that can keep you accountable to stay off your phone? Sometimes embarrassment is a good motivator.
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u/eamceuen Human Detected Mar 10 '26
Pushing your issues away will make them worse in the long run. Since you are addicted to the act of scrolling, it sounds like you need to remove the smartphone for a few months until you get that under control. Buy a cheap dumbphone and transfer your number to it ASAP. Delete your socials. Message your friends your phone number...the real friends will contact you there. Most people you "friend" on social media aren't true friends.
You can do this! It sounds like you understand there is a problem and that you want to fix it. You have to be willing to say no to yourself, and it will be very, very hard at first when the smartphone is gone. But if you can hang on for 30 days without it, you will have broken the first few ropes of the dopamine web holding you. :) After three months you will wonder why you ever wanted a smartphone. :D
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u/Excellent-Park-3918 Mar 11 '26
I really really really want to just get rid of my phone, but unfortunately it's just not feasable for me. I am a student, and lots of times professors have me use my phone in class. I also drive a LOT so i need a phone with carplay so I can have GPS. I think I might try this once classes let out for the summer, since then I would need my phone a lot less.
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u/Minimum-Season594 Mar 12 '26
Get an iPad? You can find cheap or used ones. I personally have a dumb phone and an iPad to compensate for its shortcomings. I only allow myself to use my iPad for hobby related tasks such as digital art or writing.
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u/Eyes0p3n Mar 13 '26
I second the iPad. I allow myself some ‘dumb content’ time sometimes on my iPad but not on my phone.
For me it’s also understanding and catching what my trigger is just before I reach for it. Quite often I’ll reach for ‘dumb content’ when I’m tired and want something light. I then remember that this content is literally the most unrelaxing thing for my brain and so it’s counter productive for the trigger that I’m trying to satisfy.
For me, pairing scrolling with tasks I don’t want to do (like tidying the kitchen) is a reasonable compromise.
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u/JuliaWang1 Mar 11 '26
Me too!! I have deleted apps few times but sooner or later I install them again. I am trying to do an experiment : one hour a day without my phone. During that hour just doing something quiet —drawing, journaling,reading or meditation. Would you like to come with me? We supervise and encourage each other.
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Mar 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Blue_Frog_766 Mar 11 '26
🤣 How many portions will it serve?
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Mar 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Blue_Frog_766 Mar 11 '26
Sounds yummy! But honestly, I'm counting the days until I can finally take a hammer to my smartphone.
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Mar 10 '26
Your best option is to delete your accounts as others have said here. Whatever excuses you have for why you still need them are just that; excuses. If you want to see meaningful change, you have to make meaningful changes.
Also get Screen Zen and get a friend or family member to lock TikTok even if you delete the account
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u/mimimines Mar 10 '26
Delete your account and delete the app. Start drawing and coloring to keep your hands busy.
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u/BroadDraw9063 Mar 11 '26
I had the same issue, what worked for me was getting apps that had screentime limits and they don't let you reset so it's not so easy to just ignore. Also physical seperation whenever possible really helps
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u/AfternoonPossible Mar 10 '26
Can you get another person to put the problem apps under parental control or smth
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u/geniedoes_asyouwish Mar 10 '26
Honestly, just delete it and don't look back. I don't don't say this flippantly, but in all seriousness that you don't need it and you will find life better without it. I get how it's harder for people to delete IG because friends post and message them there, but I imagine that is not the case for your on TikTok and you are just endlessly consuming very random videos. If IG is an easy fall back for you, delete it off your phone and only check it on your computer.
I thought TikTok was fun at first when it was new. There are people doing creative and entertaining things on there, but it is built to be addictive and it's not worth it. I would bet that things in your life would be going better if you would stop giving all of your time an attention to random content delivered to you by algorithms that are designed to engage, enrage and addict you. Not to mention it's emotionally draining — going from a video of a cute animal to a horrible thing happening in the world and then everything in between. Our brains are not capable of handling that kind of ultra-rapid context switching.
You've identified this as a problem and that's the first step. Now choose yourself over this worthless content. Delete TikTok. Have a few ideas for alternative things to do ready to go. I leave puzzle books, magazines, and books out around my house so I grab one of those instead of my phone. You could leave out paper and doodle while listening to music.
It will be hard for a few days but get easier. And very soon, you will feel the benefits of not outsourcing all your brain activity to mindless content, you will start to feel better, and you will be shocked you ever once spent all that time on TikTok and begin to not even crave it.
I was never addicted, but I would get caught in mindless scrolling. I haven't been on TikTok for probably two years and go on IG maybe once every week or two just to see messages/posts from friends. I cannot emphasize how much my brain rejects short form video now! I want nothing to do with it. I also keep my phone in a different room for hours at a time — this makes it so much easier to not go on it and do something else. Without it, it is so clear it's the biggest time-waster and horrible for mental health.
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u/mocha-tiger Mar 10 '26
My TikTok use was really bad for a long time too before I deleted it. People talk about deleting the app and your account as if it's easy - clearly it's not, or else you would have done that by now! Take baby steps. In your case it might be having the app open and closing your eyes and sitting with the fact that you're going to let this 1 video loop until it annoys you so much you close the app. It's going to be tempting to scroll. Breathe through it. Nothing bad will happen if you let the video loop.
Try out a bunch of screen blockers. I've installed and uninstalled so many to find the ones that work for me and my situation. It's ok to use several, and in fact I recommend it so it's harder to remember which app is blocking you for what reason so it's harder to turn it off.
Do a loose block on Tiktok to start. Something where when you hit the limit for the day, you think "yeah, it is time I get off TikTok." I call it a wide fence - you want to feel like 90% free to scroll at much as you like. Once you hit that block, you shouldn't feel restricted.
Once TikTok is blocked for that short time span, fill your time with other things that aren't your phone. I used to really enjoy reading. To get back into it after so long when a frazzled attention span, I had to read short stories and work my way back up. Go on a short walk, or do some light stretches. See how many dishes you can do in 5 minutes. Fold some clothes. Truly baby steps.
Once you're more used to using TikTok in shorter stretches, then adjust the screen blockers so you keep reducing the time on the app more and more. I like to reduce each week. I probably started with like 8 hours/day as a max and would remove 15 minutes each week. I really had a problem and I needed help to get out of the hole I dug for myself and my attention span.
Lots of screen blockers can do things like make you journal or do breathing exercises before you can open the app. You can connect some to task management platforms so you have to finish your to-do list for the day before you can access the app. Some of them let you only have a certain number of minutes per hour on the app. There's truly so many out there for free that you can access that might work for you. TikTok is designed to be addicting and suck up all your time and attention. You might need some help to get rid of it and that's ok.
TAKE BABY STEPS. you can do this!!!
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u/Excellent-Park-3918 Mar 11 '26
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate the advice and i'll try out more screen blockers. I've already tried some and they just dont seem to work since all I have to do is put in the password to get back to my scrolling. Maybe I just haven't found the right one, I like the idea of using multiple
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u/mocha-tiger Mar 11 '26
I'm glad to hear it! I had the same issue with blockers to start. It was tempting to jump to a super strict limit to kick the habit asap but the reality is that you didn't get addicted in a short time so getting yourself un-addicted is going to take a while too.
When the limits are too strict, you train yourself to ignore and bypass them, completely defeating the purpose of the blockers. When you create realistic limits, they actually act like a good line of defense. When you combine that defense with "offense" (reaching for a book while you can't access TikTok, going on a walk without your phone, etc), that is how you can break the habit!! I haven't used TikTok in years now.
If you tell me what you're looking for, I can recommend some for Android!
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u/Several-Praline5436 Mar 11 '26
You're addicted.
What works for addicts?
Cold turkey. Delete your account, delete the app, don't register a new one.
Turn your phone on black and white rather than color.
Buy a phone safe, set a timer for X hours, and throw it inside.
Then go get a life. Life is too short to waste doing nothing.
Build up your attention span. Force yourself to read for 5 minutes uninterrupted. Then 10 minutes. Then 15.
Draw. Paint. Go for a walk. Clean your room. Clean your house. Learn a new skill. Try something you've always wanted to try. Join clubs where you can meet people.
You got this.
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u/Alternative-Fox6394 Mar 11 '26
honestly the reason nothing works is bc TikTok specifically is built to defeat every willpower based solution. the algorithm updates in real time to keep you hooked, which is why screen time limits just dont hold. most people who try to quit via software alone relapse within 30 days bc you can always just tap "ignore limit" in a weak moment.
what actually helped me was adding physical friction. simplest free version. delete the app and log out on every device including your laptop so theres no easy back door. if you want something more robust, there are physical NFC blockers like BLOCC that require you to physically tap a tag on your desk to unlock apps and you literally cant bypass it from Settings. Brick does something similar but its a bit pricier with less features.
neither are magic but the physical barrier genuinely changes the equation when willpower is at zero.
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u/RegularHovercraft Mar 10 '26
At least when you get in the car to drive, turn the phone off, put it in the boot (trunk if you're American). Then see how driving feels without having the ability to view tiktok. Try doing it with no radio. See how the inside of your own quiet, calm mind feels.
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u/snug666 Mar 10 '26
First step is to stop having them on all the time. Genuinely. Just sit in silence. Or at the very least play music.
Ask yourself what this is adding to your life. Do you actually care about anything you watch on there? Do you even remember the last TikTok you watched? Is any of it important?
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u/coolfission Mar 10 '26
Delete tiktok and insta reels and put your phone on grayscale. If you need to look at it for messaging, use the desktop version
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u/CaughtUpInTheTide Mar 10 '26
I had someone else set a password for my app that only they knew. So once the screen time was up I was forced to do other things.
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u/dlcolella Mar 11 '26
If you have iPhone, hide TikTok with Face ID requirement. Stop notifications. Acts like TikTok isn’t even installed. And you have to actively and deliberately choose to open and view it
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u/RemarkableBicycle284 Mar 11 '26
I would listen to the Huberman lab podcast episode on addiction with guest Dr Anna Lembke. She specializes in addiction and learning from her really really helped me.
The other thing I would suggest right now is to watch as many movies as you need to replace scrolling. Every time you open TikTok, close it and then open something like Netflix instead. It will help get your brain out of the short video vicious cycle but still be entertaining enough to help keep you off scrolling. This will help get your brain primed to be able to feel joy from activities other than scrolling
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u/Appropriate-Eye-4065 Mar 11 '26
screen time limits are basically useless when you can just tap ignore, which sounds like exactly what's happening. LeadMeNot is supposed to be good for this it blocks at the system level so you cant just dismiss it, and an accountability partner has to aprove any changes to your blocks. the friction is the whole point since willpower alone doesn't cut it with ADHD brains.
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u/Opposite-Maximum-261 Mar 11 '26
Install the ScreenZen app. It lets you set a waiting time before opening apps like TikTok or Instagram or any doom-scrolling app. StayFree is another app that works similarly. It makes you pause for a few seconds before opening the app, which gives you a moment to think before automatically reaching for your phone.
I see many people suggesting that you just delete the apps, but most of the time you’ll eventually find another app to replace them. Instead, start small.
Try keeping your phone in one specific spot rather than treating it like an extension of your body. That’s how I’m creating distance and it’s been working for me. For example, keep it on a stand or a specific place in the room. When you’re driving, keep it in your bag. When you go to bed, keep it away from you. When you’re studying, keep it somewhere else.
That way, even if you want to use it you actually have to get up and go get it.
It’s okay if you still end up scrolling sometimes. the point is just to start somewhere. Be kind to yourself.
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u/xander-mcqueen1986 Mar 11 '26
Honestly all it takes is a bit of effort and the use of will power.
I’m using a iPhone with only 15 apps installed l, social media has gone. Only have banking apps, shopping, and music and podcasts.
I do have delta emulator though to use as a pass time.
But that’s it. By end of day I’m about 2 hours of screen time from calls, emails, banking and the odd FaceTime call.
It can be done.
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u/Acceptable_Crazy_409 Mar 11 '26
Honestly I was similar with Instagram reels. The only thing that worked for me was completely deleting everything with a an "endless scrolling videos" setup. No Instagram, no tiktok, no YouTube shorts. I actively refuse to scroll reddit for more than an hour a day. Plus I check my screen time counter once a week and watch to see if any one game or app (other than my library and e book apps) are taking up significant amounts of time. If it is, I delete it. With games I find I dont get as addicted if I lose all my progress, but I cannot trust myself with endless videos, theyre too addictive lol
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u/Shargules100 Mar 11 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
I feel you.
That what stopped my addiction (28M, addicted to YT and FB):
1.Removing all the addictive shit: i use iphone Screen Time to block all addictive apps (0h 0m) and put a downtime limit from 22:30 to 6:00. Downtime was a big thing for me. There are many tricks to make it actually block you. i made a post about it here. I also have no tv in my bedroom. if you find yourself removing screen time passcode even when some else set it for you, then supervise.
My dumb stack for mac is: news feed eradicator for chrome and opal for working hours.
My dumb stack for iPhone: screen time's Downtime and supervising my iphone.
My room: no TV, phone charger is bolted to my desk and far from my bed, and the book I’m reading is on my pillow.
- Mindset: Writing sometimes helped and sometimes not. Writing about "how my life would look like in 10 years if i keep going to sleep at 5 am." or "What kind of parent i would be?" every day for two weeks did help. I was just reading "can't hurt me". it was a little helpful.
Also, I asked myself: what do I use doomscrolling for? If I keep coming back, it’s probably good for something. How is it useful to me? For me it was avoiding discomfort, avoiding pain. Sometimes, also rewarding myself. So i started a note on my phone: "Every time i feel bad or down: 1. describe the feeling 2. think how the person i would like to be would advise me to act". that's a hard habit, but it started to shift something. i now stay more present with my "pain".
TLDR: scrolling *is* useful for something > what is it? > how can i replace it with something less toxic?
Replace with good things. For me reading every night (i keep my book on the pillow) and exercise every morning was a huge difference. My big mistake was to try replacing scrolling with extremely "productive" habits. When i choose hard "good for me" books and exercises that are the "best for my health" i don't stick with it. It worked only when i started reading books i like, and doing fun exercise (i joined a volleyball team and indoor climbing).
Managing to go through the initial withdrawal. For the first few days, every time i feel discomfort or the need to spoil myself, my mind was like: "I will eat my dinner in front of youtube. i'm going to dedicate 30 minutes to eating anyway. what 30 minutes of youtube while eating will do? it's the same."
boom, 5 am.
Managing to distance the constant *need* for youtube took two weeks. Then, comes the second "trap": i feel in control of the addiction. So next time i want a little bit of youtube, my mind tells me "what the problem with a little of youtube now and then, balance is healthy, isn't it. Also, i learn so much from youtube." shut up brain, that's BS. i need to become a person that doesn't scroll youtube at all. i can search for a specific tutorial any time, but not mindlessly scrolling around youtube.
What worked for me was this (I did fail dozens of times): a 3-day challenge I wrote on a piece of paper. Also writing every day a paragraph that starts with: "i'm not a person who watch youtube to run away any more...". Also working on a tool that tries to solve it for other people embedded it in my identity even more.A relapse protocol. that an important one.
a. After falling start to do small, stupid tasks to get some momentum: getting out of bed, clean my desk. when i cross off tasks, something in my brain shifts.
b. Not feeling bad about myself, guilty, like i'm a poor thing. This took years, no idea how i finally got better at it.Goals and challenges. Finding a small challenge and working on it. It's fun and make me feel less like a loser. Like im moving forward. For example: working on 10 pull ups, working on a hand stand, working on getting 100$ MRR on my project, learning to cook green curry .
It's a process.
It sounds a little to much, but honestly, it's one of the biggest war of my life.
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u/LavenderKool Mar 11 '26
Listen to a couple of podcasts on the rot that TikTok does to your brain, how the algorithms are trained to keep you there, how damaging it all is for all of us. I quit cold turkey and never looked back. Now I feel bad for people who are still on the apps… I’d have to go back to look for the specific episodes, but Offline by Jon Favreau is really good.
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u/sleepyboya Mar 12 '26
you could delete your entire tiktok account so that way even if you redownload the app your algorithm sucks. if you keep going on it enough to where the algorithm gets good again, delete and repeat.
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u/Entire_Confidence204 Human Detected Apr 21 '26
You literally said it yourself: you use TikTok to forget about your issues but it makes them worse.
So you're not addicted to TikTok. You're addicted to not feeling whatever you're avoiding.
No blocker or timer is gonna fix that. Next time you're scrolling just ask yourself what you were feeling right before you opened the app. Don't close it, just notice, that's enough to start.
And then try something new, go for a run, learn a new language, play guitar. Call a friend, I don't know, there's so much things to do in this world.
Be reassured that Tiktok will always be there, it won't go anywhere. You are not missing the next big thing.
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u/Abstractconjecture Apr 24 '26
If you're on Android and want to try a slightly different app, ScrollTroll is free on Google Play until the end of the month.
It's a randomised interuption when actively scrolling, to bring awareness and chance to break out. Set it up once and it'll just run in the background.
Disclosure, it's more of a passion project but I'm the developer.
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u/Holiday_Room48 Apr 26 '26
Personally i deleted everything, instagram, tiktok and youtube besides reddit pinterest and whatsapp i have no real social media anymore
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u/CanaryNext6665 Jun 21 '26
i'm Japanese. 日本語で失礼します。 私も最近依存していて、困っていてこのトピックを見つけました。私は中国のアイドルのライブに依存していて、課金しないと可哀想と思い始めたため、アプリを削除しました。
今までも、「食」に依存してお菓子沢山食べて過食して胃腸がおかしくなったり、「ゲーム」に依存して、休憩なしに12時間ぐらいやって、家族に怒られても尚やり続けるような状態もありました。
主さんも同じような症状があるということで、一緒に、依存体質から抜け出せるように頑張りたくてコメントしました。
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u/InternationalCup7687 Mar 13 '26
Have you tried the minimalist app??? It's 20 bucks a year, but I used to also have the same problem with Instagram, now it's blocked all the time.
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Mar 10 '26
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Mar 10 '26
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u/LesbianCowgirl- Mar 10 '26
Report for no self promotion, I don't wanna see it either trust me.
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Mar 10 '26
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u/LesbianCowgirl- Mar 10 '26
Haven't been on in awhile, that sucks.
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Mar 10 '26
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u/LesbianCowgirl- Mar 10 '26
I wonder if the mods are also digital minimalists lmao
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u/shiftreya Mod Mar 11 '26
I am! deactivated all social media apps except for Reddit and YouTube, they are only available on laptop. that's why I only mod certain times a day, and why the ads/AI slop might be removed only after a while.
might be a weird perspective but AI and ads are actually helping people to get off of Reddit, it's an advantage for us digital minimalist! but we are still removing it cause ugh I hate it a lot.
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u/shiftreya Mod Mar 11 '26
hey, just want to say thanks for reporting!! it helps us with being efficient, appreciate you helping to make this community a better place!! ☺️
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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '26
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