Before

Deleting social media is something more high schoolers, or teens in general, would never think about doing. They want to stay connected to their friends, scroll through TikTok when they get bored, or share the great things happening in their lives. They don’t want to go through their daily lives without the very thing that has defined our generation.

With all that said, maybe it isn’t so bad. I am writing this the day before I delete all social media for a week, and I am not looking forward to it. While I don’t think it will be that bad, considering I don’t spend as much time on apps such as Snapchat, Instagram, or TikTok as the average teenager, I still spend an average of 1 to 1.5 hours a day on social media. I got a book for Christmas that I hope will fill the time I normally spend scrolling through Instagram, but only time will tell if it is a good replacement for my normal pass time.

After

It’s one week later, and I’ve got to say, this was not nearly as challenging as I thought it would be. My book, Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins, not only served as a filler for social media but ate into the time I would normally spend on hobbies such as weightlifting, sports, or chess. I read the full 356-page book and spent more time free reading than I had in the last six months since school started.

According to theconversation.com, in a 2019 study on the effects of social media, it was found that limiting the amount of time spent on social media led to a decrease in loneliness and depression but had no effect on self-esteem or anxiety. With only deleting social media for one week, I felt like that was true. I felt happier than I would on a normal week and didn’t feel disconnected from my peers even though I didn’t have direct contact with them like I normally would.

Overall, I would recommend this to people. I don’t have anything negative to say about the experience, and the positives were numerous. While I reinstalled apps like Snapchat and Instagram once the week was over, it was more out of habit of having them available than a need to get them back in my life. Even though I got the apps back, I don’t spend the same amount of time on them as I used to. Instead of spending 1 to 1.5 hours on Instagram every day, it’s now closer to 30 minutes to an hour. Even if it’s not a permanent decision, getting rid of social media for a week, two weeks, a month, or more is an effective way to improve your life while not requiring any time to do so. Even though resolutions are mostly New Year’s exclusive, consider deleting social media as your next aspiration.