Fuck you, Instagram. Fuck you, TikTok. Fuck you, Dennik N. Fuck you, Reddit. Fuck you, Hacker News. Fuck you, YouTube.
I’m not a fan of foul language. But I need to get this out.
I’m Gen Z. I grew up with computers and internet available everywhere I go. And over the years, I’ve watched my relationship with these platforms turn into something I can only describe as addiction.
Here’s what it looks like. I wake up. I check all the apps. An hour goes by. I do another loop through them all. Suddenly it’s 11am. I haven’t gotten out of bed. I have no willpower to do so and the whole day already feels ruined.
Instead of getting work done, I procrastinate. I feel bad about it. Suddenly it’s 11pm and I’ve done barely anything. So I wake up early to not miss the deadline. But then I’m tired from the lack of sleep. So I control myself less. So I spend more time on social media. So I get even less work done. So I have to wake up even earlier the next day.
Then things blow up enough for me to do something drastic. I stop reading the news. I uninstall Instagram. I set strict rules. And I feel amazing for a few days, weeks, maybe a month. Life suddenly feels easy.
And then three months later I realize I’m right back where I started. I’ve slowly dismantled every protection I put in place. It crept back into my life so quietly I didn’t even notice.
It’s like a drug. And knowing that fills me with so much anger. All the thousands of hours wasted on fucking screens. The worst part is I’m fully aware of it and I’m still not strong enough to keep it under control. I imagine this is what being addicted to a substance feels like.
I know I’m responsible for myself. I know nobody’s forcing me to open these apps. But you designed them to be this addictive. You hired the smartest people on the planet to make sure I can’t look away. And it worked. Most of my friends share these same struggles, so I know it’s not just me.
And yet I can’t just quit. These platforms genuinely help parts of my life. I can’t get rid of them entirely. It’s like having the most delicious meal on the planet sitting in front of me at all times and I’m only allowed to take a bite here and there.
So as of a few days ago, I’m on the strictest regime I’ve ever put myself on. And I intend to hold it. Every previous attempt has failed because the rules were too loose or too easy to dismantle. This time I’ve tried to make the friction as high as possible.
Here’s what I’m doing differently this time and why I think it might actually stick.
- Phone. It’s a tool, not entertainment. I repeat this to myself constantly.
- Banking, maps, quick searches, taxis, food delivery, music. That’s all fine.
- Locked down with One Sec, an app that forces you to wait before opening anything and makes you choose how much time you want to spend before it interrupts you again. I’ve tried other blockers. Most have easy workarounds. This one doesn’t. It’s the only thing that’s ever worked for me.
- Always stays in my bag or out of sight.
- FaceID is off. I always have to type the passcode.
- Not allowed in the bedroom.
- Computer. Friction everywhere.
- I block sites through /etc/hosts with a script that re-enables the blocks every five minutes. Need to look something up on Reddit? I have a five-minute window.
- The One Sec browser extension adds another layer.
- I’m logged out of Instagram, Facebook, everything, so I’d have to re-enter credentials every time. Annoying enough to make me not bother.
- Social media and news.
- Sundays after 8pm only.
- I skim the headlines and move on.
- Chatting apps and email.
- Quick logistics are always allowed, like finding a friend at a restaurant.
- Three checks a day: 10am, 3pm, 8pm.
- No long text conversations. Keep it logistics only.
- If I need a real conversation, I call.
- I’m sorry, but I can’t text with you.
- TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels.
- Strictly banned. No exceptions.
If this fails, I will delete every account and never use any of them again. They don’t own me.
I promise that to myself.