Influencers Battle Social Media Addiction: Discover Their Top Strategies!

It’s easy to unintentionally get caught in an endless loop of videos on Instagram or TikTok. However, occasionally, what you thought was a brief 10-minute phone break turns out to be closer to 30 minutes, a reality often interrupted by a particular type of video.

Olivia Yokubonis, equipped with a soothing voice and backed by scientific research, frequently pops up in social media feeds, gently reminding viewers that they probably don’t remember the video they watched two clips before hers.

Known online as Olivia Unplugged, Yokubonis creates content aimed at curbing excessive or mindless social media usage. Most viewers appreciate her interruption of the non-stop content stream, treating it as a wake-up call to put their phones down. Some, however, respond with sarcasm.

@olivia.unplugged A much needed introduction to Olivia Unplugged! So thankful for this community in their “Unplugged Eras” and for everything that is to come ??  #unplugged #personaldevelopment #socialmedia #opalapp ? Coffe and Jazz – Baby thug

“People comment saying things like, ‘Oh, isn’t it ironic that you’re posting this. And I’m like, ‘Where else am I supposed to meet you, Kyle? Outside? You’re not outside. You’re here, sitting here,'” she said. “To really be seen, we need to be where the people are.”

Yokubonis’ content addresses a common feeling among many that they spend too much time on social media or apps.

“Most people have no idea how much time they spend on social media,” said Ofir Turel, a professor of Information Systems Management at the University of Melbourne, who has been researching social media usage for years. Through his research, Turel found that when people were presented with information about their screen time, they were almost “shocked,” and many voluntarily reduced their usage.

Yokubonis is part of an expanding group of content creators who produce videos to encourage viewers to close the app they’re using. Some are forceful in their approach, others more subdued; some only occasionally post about excessive social media use, while others, like Yokubonis, dedicate their accounts to this cause.

She works for Opal, a screen time app designed to help users “regain their focus,” she stated, but those who interact with her content might not realize she works for the company. Brand logos, constant mentions to download the app, and other branding signs are almost completely absent from her page. “People love listening to other people,” she noted. The millions of views on her videos suggest she’s right.

“It’s a fine line and a balance to find a way to cut through that noise, but also not to add to the noise,” she added.

Ian A. Anderson, a postdoctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology, finds this type of content intriguing but wonders if it’s disruptive enough to spur action. He also questions whether those with the strongest content consumption habits are “careless about how they are absorbing information.”

“If they are paying full attention, I feel it could be an effective disruption, but I also think there’s a degree to which, if you’re really a habitual consumer, maybe you’re not fully engaging with it,” he said. “I can think of all sorts of different variables that might change the effectiveness, but it sounds like an interesting way to intervene from within.”

With billions of active users on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media platforms, discussions about reducing screen time are ongoing, as is the debate over social media addiction. However, there is significant disagreement over whether social media addiction really exists.

Is Social Media “Addiction” Real?

Researchers, psychologists, and other experts agree that some people spend too much time on social media, but consensus usually ends there. Some scholars question whether addiction is the appropriate term to describe heavy social media use, arguing that a person must exhibit identifiable symptoms like strong, sometimes uncontrollable urges, and withdrawal to qualify as an addiction. Others, like Turel, recognize that the term resonates with more people and is often used colloquially.

Anderson noted the prevalence of casual mentions of being addicted to phones and was curious if such talk was “benign.”

A recent study of his suggests that the debate extends beyond academic discourse. In a representative sample of active Instagram users, Anderson found that people often overestimate if they are “addicted” to the app. On a self-report scale, 18% of participants agreed they were at least somewhat addicted to Instagram, and 5% indicated substantial agreement, but only 2% of participants considered themselves at risk of addiction based on their symptoms. Believing you are addicted also impacts how you approach the problem, Anderson said.

“If you perceive yourself as more addicted, it actually harms your ability to control your use or your perception of that ability, and it makes you blame yourself more for excessive use,” said Anderson. “There are these negative consequences of addiction perception.”

Reducing Screen Time

For those looking to cut down their social media habits, Anderson recommends making small, meaningful changes to avoid opening their preferred social media app. Moving the app’s location on your phone or turning off notifications are “light-touch interventions,” but more definitive options, like not taking your phone into the bedroom or other frequently used areas, could also help.

Various intervention methods have been offered to consumers in the form of products or services. But these interventions require self-awareness and a desire to reduce usage. Content creators who infiltrate social media feeds with information about the psychology behind why people watch content for hours each day can plant those initial seeds.

Cat Goetze, who goes by CatGPT online, creates “non-pretentious, non-condescending” content about artificial intelligence, drawing from her experience in the tech industry. However, she has also been on a long journey to reduce her own screen time. She often makes videos about why platforms are so engaging and why we tend to spend more time on them than anticipated.

“There’s a whole infrastructure, an army of nerds whose only job is to make you increase your time on that platform,” she said. “There’s a whole machine trying to make you this way, and it’s not your fault, and you’re not going to beat this alone (through) willpower.”

Goetze also founded the business Physical Phones, which manufactures Bluetooth landline phones that connect to smartphones, encouraging people to spend less time on their devices. The inside of the packaging states “offline is the new luxury.”

She was able to grow the business rapidly thanks to her social media audience. But the early success of Physical Phones also shows the demand for solutions to high screen time, she said.

“Social media will always play a role in our lives. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. If we can reduce the average screen time from, say, ten hours for one person to one hour, or from three hours to 30 minutes, that will be a net positive benefit for that individual and for society,” said Goetze. “That said, I’d love to be the person they’re watching during those 30 minutes.”