01/18/2024

Nine Ways to Reset Your Relationship with Social Media

It may be time to log off

Emma Lembke joined Instagram when she was 12. The last of her friend group to sign up, she had sensed the appeal of the app in the gazes of friends; people who used to look at her now looked at their phones. "I thought to myself, 'There has to be something incredibly magnetic and magical and connective that pulls people into these apps,'" recalled Lembke, who’s now 21 and founder of the Log Off Movement, a non-profit that aims to help kids use social media in a healthier way.

She soon began spending five or six hours a day mindlessly scrolling—and says her mental health and well-being deteriorated. Lembke recalled quantifying her worth by tracking likes, comments and followers, and taking down posts that didn’t perform well enough.

"It felt as though I was honestly addicted," she said. "When I heard the buzz of a notification, I had that instant Pavlovian response to grab my phone. I finally asked, 'What am I doing?'"

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.