For a healthier relationship with being online — comparison, doom-scrolling, breaks that stick, and worrying about your kids’ use.
Social media is engineered by very well-resourced people to be difficult to put down. If you’ve decided to use it less and repeatedly failed, that isn’t a character flaw — it’s the product working.
This category is for talking honestly about that, without either the moral panic or the pretence that it’s all fine.
What people talk about here
Comparison, and the specific misery of measuring your life against everyone else’s edited version. Doom-scrolling instead of sleeping. Deleting the apps and reinstalling them within a week. What actually happens when someone takes a real break. Posting less and the odd fear of disappearing. Algorithms that learn what upsets you and serve you more of it. Worrying about a child’s use, and setting limits without constant fighting. Harassment and pile-ons. And working out which parts of it you’d genuinely miss.
Related categories
- Online Safety — scams, privacy and security, led by our verified Sponsor
- Body Image — comparison and appearance specifically
- Bullying — cyberbullying and online harassment
Support beyond the forum
- eSafety Commissioner — Australian Government online safety information, plus reporting for abuse and harassment.
- headspace — youth mental health support for ages 12–25. Call 1800 650 890.
- Beyond Blue — free 24/7 mental health support. Call 1300 22 4636.
- Kids Helpline — free 24/7 counselling for ages 5–25. Call 1800 55 1800.
How to use this category
Share what’s worked, including the partial successes — the person who moved their phone charger out of the bedroom and slept better has more to offer than another article about dopamine.
Please don’t post screenshots that identify other people, or link to pile-ons and arguments happening elsewhere.