Here's how to quit social media (and why you should never do it in one day)
Doomscrolling getting you down? You’re certainly not alone. According to recent research by Squeaky Bean, as many as 55 percent of Brits say that screens are making them feel anxious and depressed.
It’s no wonder then that 84 percent of those surveyed would like to spend less time in the digital world and more time in the real one.
Research from GWI shows the most common reasons for this growing trend include a lack of interest in social media, feeling overwhelmed by the content, privacy concerns and a general feeling of having less time to spare.
Yet, even if these reasons sound familiar to you, it's no small feat to take the plunge and cut off social media completely.
Few are better suited to explain this dilemma than Laura Hughes, Digital Life Coach and Co-Founder of The Digital Detox Club. Laura is on a mission to help people reclaim their lives from the grasp of technology, championing phone-free events where people can improve their wellbeing and reconnect.
She explains: ‘Social media isn’t what it once was. Even Mark Zuckerberg has admitted that Facebook is no longer about connecting with people you know — it’s about ecommerce, advertising and the attention economy. The same is true of Instagram. So if these platforms aren’t primarily for connection anymore, what are we really using them for? Too often, it’s our time, focus, and peace of mind being hijacked – in exchange for rising anxiety, shortened attention spans and moods that rise and fall at the mercy of algorithms’.
So how can you break the habiit and claw back your free time? We spoke to experts in mental health and digital wellness to uncover the best advice for switching off and quitting social media for good.
Assessing the damage
How do you know that a digital detox is right for you? Brianna Paruolo, Psychotherapist and founder of On Par Therapy, says that you need to weigh up how social media makes you feel day-to-day. You have to take a step back and evaluate the quality of your days and how they’re impacted by social media usage.
Ask yourself, “Does what I see [on social media] inspire me or tire me?” This can help you gauge the impact it’s having on your mental health.
‘When things like sleep, mood and appetite are negatively influenced by social media usage, that’s when it’s time to explore the things that are in your control: the apps you use, the amount of time you spend on the apps, the interactions you experience.’
Dr Daniel Hochman is a psychiatrist and the founder of Self Recovery, an online addiction recovery programme. He explains that whilst social media is not always inherently bad, the way we use it matters profoundly.
The algorithms on Instagram, Facebook and X work by deliberately monopolising your attention, and this can detract from your life in meaningful ways.
‘When we scroll passively, letting algorithms dictate our attention, our minds are being trained in subtle ways – shortened attention spans, heightened anxiety and a weakening of our capacity for deep thought. Studies show that social media has led to rising rates of depression and emotional fragility. The problem isn’t technology itself; it’s that passive consumption conditions us, rather than serving our intentions.’
The perks of letting go
Experts agree that there are many benefits to cutting down on social media usage, and even more so for quitting it entirely.
Melissa Gallagher is a licensed counsellor and Executive Director of Victory Bay Mental Health Services. She explains that a digital detox is good for both long-term and short-term mental health, with tangible benefits that you will feel right away.
‘[My patients] experience better sleep within 3–5 days, reduce comparison anxiety in just a couple of weeks, and have better real-world social skills after just a month. Most of all, they reclaim the ability to interact with their own thoughts directly, without instantly subjecting them to all manner of external validation.’
Laura adds that it’s important to reframe the change in our minds – we shouldn’t see quitting social media as a loss, but really as a gain.
‘When we step back – whether by quitting or simply reducing our use – we create space for something infinitely richer: real life. Things no app can replicate. Genuine human connection. Hobbies and passions. Sport, creativity, and relationships. Even the underrated art of being bored, or pausing long enough to notice the world around us. Social media promises connection, but often delivers distraction. Stepping away helps us rediscover wonderful offline experiences that make us feel more alive.’
Need for speed?
One question that comes up again and again is whether it’s necessary to delete your accounts completely and immediately, going ‘cold turkey’, or if it’s better to pull away gradually.
Melissa explains that cold turkey attempts frequently don’t work because they can kick-start withdrawal symptoms like FOMO (fear of missing out), anxiety and fear of social isolation.
Quit Social Media in Three Weeks
Melissa suggests the following three-week treatment plan to kick your social media habit:
- In the first week, remove apps from the home screen of the phone and remove notifications.
- In the second week, check social media twice a day at scheduled times.
- In the third week, have ‘phone-free’ periods that get longer and longer.
Brianna agrees that an immediate clean break from something as addictive as social media is risky for most. ‘Cold turkey can cause an unintentional rebound effect, where social media usage increases more than before you intended to quit it. Start slowly by carving out times that work for your schedule and set a screentime limit or a timer when you engage. This might look like dedicating a 30-minute scroll period in the morning and slowly reducing it until you hit minimal to no time spent mindlessly scrolling.’
The practical side
Brooks Lape, mental health expert and co-founder of Start Your Recovery, acknowledges the difficulties of making the switch to offline life.
She explains that instead of obsessing over totally eradicating social media, small changes can go a long way. ‘Completely erasing an online presence is difficult, as past posts, backups and third-party platforms may retain traces. However, taking proactive steps, such as deactivating accounts, adjusting privacy settings and limiting app access can create a meaningful distance from these platforms.’
If you want to go the whole distance, it can be hard to know where to begin. Is it really so simple as just deleting the apps forever? Melissa explains, ‘The logistical details of this process require thoughtful planning rather than rash erasure’.
She explains that for her patients, something that often works well is removing the social media apps from their phones and installing them only on computers. This reduces the intensity of the breakaway from social media, whilst still helping to break the cycle of compulsion.
Laura’s advice is to prioritise a gradual reduction and substitute the dopamine hits of social media with real-world activities that feel just as good. ‘Set no-phone zones (like mealtimes or the bedroom), or try a weekend/holiday without social media before extending it further. At The Digital Detox Club, we’ve found that people succeed when they replace scrolling with something tangible and something that really speaks to them personally: journaling, a walk, even calling a friend. Quitting isn’t just about subtraction, it’s about filling the gap with activities that nourish you.’
She adds that the key is to decide the right amount of social media for you. ‘For some, simply removing apps from their phone dramatically changes their daily life. For others, fully deleting accounts is the only way to feel free. What matters isn’t achieving a perfect digital erasure – which may not exist – but being intentional. You can reclaim your relationship with technology by choosing where you want to show up, and where you don’t.’
Laura offers her practical first step to taking the leap of faith into a digital detox. ‘Pick one platform, deactivate or delete, and sit with the space it creates. Often, the absence of a constant need to check the app is the biggest gain of all.’
Join the movement
According to Dr Daniel, quitting social media for one’s mental health is no passing fad. It’s on the up, as many are waking up to the toxicity of addictive algorithms.
‘More people are recognising this and taking steps to reclaim their mental space. Some leave entirely, while others simply reduce their engagement as a deliberate mental health strategy. While we can never truly erase our digital shadows, the act of reclaiming our attention is more important than perfect erasure.
‘The key is intentionality: when we use technology deliberately, it can strengthen our minds or maintain connections; when we let it use us, it weakens our focus, curiosity, resilience, and real life connections. In short, we have a choice: train to be deliberate with our mind and time, or train to be passive.’
Laura has seen first-hand, time and again, how quitting social media can improve a person’s wellbeing. She confirms that there’s an ever-expanding community of people deciding to take back their time and energy from apps like Instagram, Facebook and X.
‘More people than ever are seeking screen-free spaces to reconnect in real life. It’s a quiet but growing cultural shift: people are questioning whether endless scrolling actually enriches their lives. Some choose to delete accounts altogether, while others set boundaries, like keeping weekends offline.’
And this is just the beginning. Laura explains that as more and more people wake up to the costs of social media overuse, digital detoxing is becoming a key aspect of taking care of one’s mental health.
She explains, ‘Walking away from social media is no longer radical; now, it’s increasingly seen as self-care’.
10 Top Tips for Digital Detoxing
- Think about how each of your social media apps makes you feel and engage with each one mindfully: consider deleting accounts on sites which don’t serve you
- Turn off all non-essential social media notifications to resist the temptation to regularly check the apps
- Buy an old-fashioned alarm clock so your phone doesn’t pull you in first thing in the morning
- Replace scrolling with real-world activities like reading, journaling or going for a walk
- Designate tech-free zones in your home (like the bedroom, for example) to limit usage
- Set specific times of the day (or week) when you allow yourself to check social media
- Set realistic goals for how long you want your screentime to be
- Leave your phone in another room when you go to the loo or go to sleep
- Delete social media apps from your phone, and only check them on your computer (or not at all!)
- Downgrade to a non-smart phone or ‘dumbphone’ which can only call and text
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