How to spend less time on social networks (or leave it completely)

Has too many hours spend in your social food feeling anxious, combative or simply unproductive? Just as the limiting exposure to social networks for children's mental health has been recommended, many adults can also benefit.

Even if you are not ready for complete digital detoxification (where you severely reduce your use of smartphones or even take a week offline), small settings to your daily routine can help you make time for other activities. And if you have decided that it is time to move on, see what you can carry with you before closing your accounts. Here is a quick guide.

Establish limits

Social network platforms offer good reasons to stay, such as connecting remote family members or providing online community space to groups of people. If you want to continue using them, but in moderation, the configuration of your phone can help.

First, try to control any notification of social applications. On an iPhone or iPad Executing iOS, open the configuration icon, touch notifications and move down on the list of applications to silence the selected applications. In the menu configuration of a telephone that is running Android 15Touch the notifications and then the notifications of the application to reach the controls.

Apple and Google also include controls for ration time in applications. In the iOS 18 configuration, select Screen timeSelect the application activity and the website and enable it (if it is not yet in), and then touch the limits of the application. In the Android 15 digital well -being configuration, touch the circular graph at the top of the screen and then select the applications from the list below for Establish your restrictions.

Eliminate temptation

It is easy to discard the pieces of the day with a quick look at your food on social networks. If limiting notifications or establishing timers in their use is not enough, take a step further: Eliminate the application of your phone.

Eliminating the application does not eliminate your social account. However, it forces you to verify your food on a different device, such as a laptop or tablet that stays at home.

TO Delete an application From an iPhone or iPad, press and hold your homemade screen icon, select Delete the application and then remove the application.

Application uninstallation On an Android phone you can vary with the hardware and software version, but on Android 13 and later, open the Google Play store, touch its profile icon in the upper right corner, choose to manage applications and devices and administer. On some phones, you can also drag an application icon to the upper screen and drop it into the Uninstall option.

Pause

Most social media platforms allow you to take a temporary break by disabled Your account. Basically deactivate your view of the view until you log in to reactivate it. The steps vary according to the platform, but the process generally begins in the configuration area of ​​your account. See the platform support section to obtain specific instructions.

If you decide to deactivate, see the policy of the social media company. Some platforms, such as <a target="_blank" class="css-yywogo" href="https://help.x.com/en/managing-your-account/how-to-deactivate-x-account” title=”” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>unknown and SnapchatProvide a 30 -day deactivation period before the account is automatically eliminated forever.

Other platforms, including <a target="_blank" class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.facebook.com/help/214376678584711/?helpref=uf_share” title=”” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>facebook, Bluesky, YouTube and TiktokDo not put a time limit on your return. Deactivating a <a target="_blank" class="css-yywogo" href="https://help.instagram.com/728869160569983/?helpref=search&query=deactivate&search_session_id=c1e77728980de4f2aa5767b40e42e24c&sr=1″ title=”” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>instagram The account also puts its <a target="_blank" class="css-yywogo" href="https://help.instagram.com/558007373138554/?helpref=search&query=deactivate&search_session_id=c1e77728980de4f2aa5767b40e42e24c&sr=0″ title=”” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>Rags Account (if you have one) on ice.

Stop being good

Unlike deactivation, eliminating your account is a permanent detour from the platform. The eliminate option generally is found in the same area of ​​the configuration as the deactivation.

If you decide to delete, all the content you have published on the platform will disappear, but many places will allow you to download a file of your photos and other publications before leaving. Look for an option “download your information” or “download your data” in the configuration of your account.

Depending on the amount of content you have published, you can take a few days after requesting that your data receives the link to download your file. Some sites, such as Tiktok, only provide links to their videos instead of the real files, which requires additional effort to obtain them.

Once the download of your data is completed and the files have verified, follow the platform guide to eliminate your account permanently. Before the output, some people publish their contact information to connect elsewhere and continue the conversation.