Social media platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok are ubiquitous—nearly every US adult uses at least one social media site, and many spend hours on multiple sites each day. According to the Pew Research Center, YouTube and Facebook are the most-widely used online platforms, though half of the adults surveyed use Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter and Snapchat.

And there’s a multitude of reasons social media sites are so popular. Most of them allow us to stay connected with friends and family, find news and entertainment, and engage with communities around shared interests. 

At its best, social media can even provide a sense of belonging or social support. However, at its worst, social media has a number of negative effects, especially on mental and emotional health. Most social platforms are designed to attune its content with the user’s interests and keep them on the app for as long as possible. This leads to overuse of the platforms and doom scrolling, which occurs when someone compulsively consumes negative content. Social media use, even at healthy levels, can lead to feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, or depression. For many, the online experience is also marked by decreased productivity, addiction-like behaviors, the inability to focus, and exposure to misinformation.  

If you’re looking to limit your use of social platforms, whether it’s for mental health reasons or to limit your distractions, you’re not alone! For many, social media use is an addiction, making the habit difficult to break, so we recommend that you replace social media scrolling with another activity to help fill the void once filled by mindless scrolling. 

But before we dig in further, delete the apps off your phone ;) Having access to social media apps right on your phone can make it nearly impossible to curb your scrolling habit.

Here are 5 healthy and engaging alternatives to social media scrolling.

Swap Doom Scrolling for Microlearning

When you feel the urge to scroll, you may automatically reach for your phone. Instead of opening your favorite social media app, we recommend a microlearning site or app. 

Microlearning is an educational tactic focused on learning new information in small units as compared to traditional learning that tends toward longer, more thorough learning sessions. We recommend finding a topic you’re naturally interested in and an app that will help you learn it. So next time you’re tempted to scroll, you can open a learning app like Blinkist, Khan Academy, Duolingo, Coursera, or Udemy, and get short, bite-sized lessons on various topics. You’ll still get the quick satisfaction of using your phone without passively scrolling.

Play A Quick Game

This is another activity that can redirect your desire to scroll; find a tried and true game you’ve enjoyed playing over the years and start playing again! Try games that are challenging, puzzles, or creative so you can engage with the game as opposed to the passive experience of social media which is mainly focused on consuming content. Popular games include sudoku, mahjong, crosswords, Badland, Monument Valley, G30 and Zenge.

Some of the best games are also available in physical books, but downloading a phone game can also be fun and convenient. 

Pick Up A New Hobby

Many hobbies are easy to transport, easy to work on in 10-15 minute increments, and effective at filling time that was once spent on social media. Plus, many of those same hobbies strengthen creative muscles that aren’t often used in daily life. Try something small like photography, origami, sketching, or even playing an instrument and explore as you go. Over time, you’ll find hobbies you like and dislike and during this period, you’ll come to learn more about yourself. A lot of self-discovery can happen if you invest time and intentionality into hobbies instead of social media.

Plus, the excitement and sense of accomplishment from finishing a quilt, wilted figurine, painting, poem, or portrait is much more satisfying than spending time on the apps. 

Practice Mindfulness

We often spend many minutes if not hours scrolling on social media each day—imagine if that time was spent doing something that supported a healthier mind? During the times you feel tempted to get on Instagram or Tik Tok, practice mindfulness, which is becoming aware of your internal state and surroundings. Mindfulness is therapeutic and helps reduce stress and anxiety.

Intentional breathing exercises are a common, easy way to practice mindfulness, but we also recommend guided meditations that can help you experience peace throughout your day. We also recommend mindfulness apps like Calm and Headscape which can help you reconnect with yourself and how you’re feeling, as opposed to mindless content consumption. 

Work On A Project

It’s incredibly rewarding to build something, so if you find yourself with blocks of time you previously spent scrolling, try working on a project. Think about a dream you always had or something you always wanted to accomplish but never had the time for. Now consider ways you can spend time throughout your day investing in that project. 

Maybe you always wanted to travel—use former doom scrolling time to plan out your trip or find a side gig to pay for your flights. Maybe you always wanted to write a book—consider planning out your chapters. Have you always wanted to refinish furniture—use Youtube to learn how to do it or start chipping away at pieces you have on hand. Have you always wanted to sing in a choir—spend your time practicing.

There’s so much you can accomplish that can be done in the 10-20 minutes that you used to spend scrolling on social media. Our hope is that you find healthier, more enriching ways to invest your time and recover from the damaging impact of chronic social media use.

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