There are Gen Z’ers who live without a smartphone by choice. Shocked? I listened to a podcast on the effects of social media and doom scrolling, a topic that fascinates me for several reasons. Being attached to our phones is so normalized that we don’t notice the abnormalities and negative patterns of this behavior. No matter how much we talk about it, it seems we still can’t let go. There’s an inner addiction we don’t want to admit. This becomes clear when we’re left without our devices for as little as one hour. At first, this withdrawal period is torture, but once we embrace it as a form of self-care, we rediscover who we are when we’re not dependent anymore. 

Founder Who Quit Social Media

Gabriela Nguyen is a 24-year-old who grew up in Silicon Valley and founded the organization Appstinence to help people break away from addictive platforms and live a more meaningful life. She’s not just preaching and promoting her product and idea– she’s living it. After realizing the impact of her obsession with Instagram, she made the switch to a light (or “dumb”) phone, a simple device designed for minimal, intentional communication. She took this first step toward change when she realized she couldn’t focus on anything for longer than a few minutes. Now she’s on a mission to help others become aware of brain rot and regain their peace. Her organization offers 1:1 help to reclaim your life from tech and teaches the 5D Method (decrease, deactivate, delete, downgrade, and depart) to get off socials for good.

The Cost of Constant Scrolling

Cognitive overload from excessive screens can cause anxiety, low motivation, stress, comparison, and an emptiness inside. Hearing her mission and story sparked something in me, as less screens is my top goal for this year. I had deleted a couple of social media accounts, but found myself re-downloading and deleting them again. Maybe the answer isn’t to completely erase these apps for life. Not everyone can do it like Gabriela, but disciplining yourself by setting time limits is not for the weak either. For the sake of our health and sanity, we need to come up with a game plan for change because the effects of excessive scrolling are not just sleep disruption and headaches. It slows down decision-making and reaction time, increases irritability, weakens cognitive functions like memory, worsens anxiety and depression, and can cause emotional desensitization.  Those who quit experience increased self-esteem and productivity, in addition to less stress.

Going Offline– A Temporary Trend?

Examining how we spend our time, what we can add to build skillsets, and improve mental health ensures we aren’t wasting our potential away by over-consuming and never creating or implementing the useful content we read, watch, and listen to. People are trying hobbies, screen-free activities, tips for less browsing, and traditional journaling to regain their focus and creativity. Staying offline more has become trendy. However, is it for the right reasons? Or is it a temporary content idea for influencers and creators? I believe it’s up to us to decide by re-evaluating and reflecting on what’s important. 

Screens have become an addiction, but I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all solution. We need to address the issue on an individual level. This isn’t a matter of taking sides or assuming all platforms are harmful. It’s about taking back control and choosing when to log off and stay that way. Trends come and go, but this isn’t sudden and is here to stay because people are noticing benefits, like stronger relationships, communication, mental clarity, and meaningful consumption. 

Editor: Shannon Hensley