I quit TikTok: here’s why
As the pandemic surged, I like many have turned to social media to connect with my peers. Social media is now the place to be, replacing social gatherings and school gossip.
One of the social media apps I use the most is TikTok. I have been using TikTok for over five years now, since back when it was called “Musical.ly.” Something about the never ending stream of short videos is just so mesmerizing to me. You can find short videos on almost any topic, and users of TikTok have even created their own cults and subcultures. I felt like I belonged on the app and that I had a community of people from all over the world to back me up.
However, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. I increasingly spent more time on TikTok. The first thing I did when I woke up? Open TikTok. Spare time in between classes? Watch TikTok videos. My break at work? Make a TikTok. I always complained that I have no free time, when in reality all of my time was spent on TikTok. I was averaging over four hours a day just on TikTok itself!
We already spend over three to four hours a day on video calls just for school, and with all of the added screen time I had from TikTok and other social media apps on my phone, my screen time was reaching over 12 hours a day. That’s when I decided to delete TikTok. There were just so many more productive things I could do with four extra hours a day instead of aimlessly watching random videos.
The first few days were difficult, as I found myself tapping on where the app icon of TikTok used to be. However, I found myself to be more productive, cutting the number of missing assignments I had in half and actually completing my homework on time. I started to work on my drivers ed, something which I have been putting off for months. I also feel more rested, as I am sleeping a whole lot more now that I am not watching Tiktoks before I go to sleep.
Sixteen days in, I relapsed and downloaded the app again. Although it is now sapping time away from me, I have not been using it as much as I used to. I recognize that giving something up totally is difficult and that good things are only good in moderation.
I would highly recommend taking a break from a social media platform that you use very often for a week or two. It helped me reduce the time I spent on Tik Tok when I logged in again, and freed up a lot of time for me to do more productive things. So, what are you going to do with all the extra time?
I too have spent a significant time on titktok and I think it’s amazing you have the self control to take a break from it.
I appreciate you sharing this and promoting taking a break from our electronic devices. It can get to be obsessive and unhealthy which is why it is important to always take a step back.
I like how you deleted the app and tried to live without. I know how much time people can spend on social media and that is just one of the many reasons that I don’t have any social media at all.
This was a very well informed article. Most people, including myself struggle with controlling screen time and letting social media take up hours of time throughout the day. I have begun deleting some social media apps, and I’ve noticed many positive changes in my lifestyle.
I also spend way too much time on that app. It takes up so much time whereas I could be doing homework or cleaning my room. I will probably take a break from social media this upcoming week to study for finals week so I can stay focused.
I’ve also been spending more time than I should on social media, so I set up a time limit on all my social media apps to stop myself. It kind of works, but I still end up procrastinating on assignments because I’m scrolling through social media.
I also spend hours scrolling through Tik Tok when I should be doing homework. I’m trying not to spend hours and hours on Tik tok. But students should have a little time period to stop looking social media and do something else. I am trying to do that too.
I agree. Social media/tiktok is very hard to break away from.
Cool story I also spend a lot of time on my phone this might encourage me to stop a little.
I am on Tik Tok way too much. You have inspired me to cut back.
I’m the same way: spending hours upon hours on TikTok when I could be actually productive and get things I need finished, finished. This is honestly inspiring me to delete most social media, but as you did: it’s always tempting to install them again.
I also be on tik tok way to much
Wow, I have never checked how much time I spend on tiktok and now I am realizing all the productive things I could do instead.
I spend to much time on tiktok like many other people so, your story is very inspiring.
social media in general is a toxic environment that is hard to get yourself out from. for us teens, it has became a necessity to have social media. which sucks because we rely on that for our entertainment. tik tok can definitely carry you away for hours without noticing that you watched too many videos. deleting social media is a struggle for people to do. but social media also has pros that we don’t always notice.
Thanks for sharing, I think a lot of people needed to hear this.
Social media can be very hard to break away from.
I agree that moderations are important especially with social media. Because it can be very addictive, and take up too much time.
i myself spend too much time on tik tok and im sure your eyes are thanking you
That was a very interesting story!
A social media cleanse is much needed for me too.
I understand why you have mad the decision to delete tiktok it is probably a good idea to be more productive procrastinate less
I commend you for deleting the app, most people couldn’t even get off social media for an hour. I know it had to be hard getting rid of something that you spent majority of your time on, so I wish you luck.
Social media takes up a lot of my screen time as well. I finally decided to take a break from it and go outside as opposed to staying inside tapping and scrolling away on my phone. I realized how much more productive I was.
I definitely want to try to limit my time on TikTok too, I tend to get distracted on there and end up on the app for hours instead of doing my work.
I’d like to try taking a break from tik tok as well, in order to use my time for more productive things
I also spend a lot of time on TikTok, so I definitely agree that it’s important to watch how much time you spend on it and social media in general.
I can get really distracted when I’m on tik tok too. Sometimes it makes me procrastinate on things that I have to do. I think it’s healthy to take breaks from using apps to do something more productive.
Yeah my screen time also went up a few more hours now that everything is virtual, I have also started to limit my social media usage and focus on myself.
I agree how addicting watching the short videos are and that they really take away so much time from your life. It’s really nice to see that you realized how unhealthy this app was and took a break on social media.
I have never used tiktok, and I never will. It’s sad to see people’s entire personalities become what they see on their phone. I know high schoolers will probably grow out of this, but my 7 year old sister is even on tiktok. Those little kids are absolutely consumed by the app. They do all the dances and don’t really even know what the dances are/what connotations they might bring.
I agree, not only has it taken up a lot of screen time but its been part of the daily life.
Very inspiring cause i also spend way to much time on tiktok
Good job for realizing your bad habits and fixing them! It’s hard for people to break habits especially when it comes to the internet, now that everything is about technology. It’s not an easy thing to do, but you stepped up and did it.
I never really use TikTok, but I can definitely see how this problem could also apply to some other social media platforms. It’s important for people to take breaks from using social media and spend some time doing hobbies they enjoy or just going outside.
Thanks for sharing! This has inspired me to reduce my own screen time as well.
Yes, tiktok is a waste of time. Why use tiktok when you can do schoolwork?
I also used to spend quite a bit of time on TikTok. I didn’t realize how much time I was spending on it because I would always use the app in between other activities, but it would definitely chip away at my time.
I never got into Tik Tok because I knew it was hard for other people to not use it, so I stay away from it.
Recently I have noticed that my screen time has gone up due to my hours of boredom scrolling. I could be using that time for much more beneficial things like exercising and school work. This article has inspired me to try and be on tik tok less so thank you! I will try to limit my screen exposure and use the extra time for things like being outside.
Yes, tiktok is a waste of time. Why use tiktok when you can do schoolwork?
i also tend to spend alot of time on tiktok, most of the time without realizing how long has passed. im trying to spend more time with family and outside then looking at a screen.
I can agree using social media can take most of your time. Reducing your hours on them can help a lot.
Thank you for directly confronting this issue! As someone who had no social media until senior year, I was shocked by some of the trends I saw when I got Instagram last summer. Social media is a good place to share creativity, but it also spreads stress and false information. It is a good idea to have access to some social media because without it you have no idea what people are thinking and talking about all day. But it is also helpful to recognize that the trends you see do not have to control your life; they are merely a congregate of people around the world just as confused as yourself trying to look good and do what the crowd is doing. I prefer setting my own rules for social media use rather than using a time limit app because it gives me more control and feels less artificial. And I do not have TikTok
Yeah I never used tiktok in the first place because it melts my brain
Maybe I should do this too! Very informative thanks!
I agree, I go on tik tok too much and waste my day.
Reading this made me realize how much time I spend on tik tok myself. Now I’m thinking maybe I should take a break from it as well!
Though I don’t use Tik Tok anymore, Instagram has slowly become a highly used app on my phone because of the Reels feature which is basically Tik Tok.
I dislike Tiktok for multiple reasons. Not only does it waste time, I think it also encourages people to overshare about their lives and to push the boundaries with what they want to post. Due to the nature of many tiktok trends and dances, it is an easy platform for predators to prey on children. Not a fan.
I to spend so much time on TikTok so props to you for having the self-control and will to get rid of it. I think I’ve found ways to be on my phone less (the app flora helps) but I’m still on it a lot.
Even more reason to not use this app.
I spend a lot of time on tiktok as well, and this article has inspired me to spend less on time on it to be more productive in the future.
I’m gad you address this, I use to spend hours on Tik Tok and realized I needed to take my eyes off of my screen and go outside more so I’m not wasting my day inside all the time.
I spend alot of my free time using tiktok as well and I might try deleting it now that I’ve read this article so I can focus more on myself and school!
the article was an interesting read.
TikTok also used to be an app that chipped at hours that I could have used more productively. Although I’ve cut that out of my system, many other sites like YouTube and Instagram have been equally distracting throughout the day.
My screen time in early quarantine was over 12 hours a day too, but by using the time limit feature and deleting some of the social media apps I have more time to enjoy my hobbies.
I can relate to a few parts of this article, because TikTok takes up a lot of my screen time as well. I’ve thought about temporarily deleting it, but I’ve never actually done it, even though I think deleting it would help me to be more productive.
I agree that tiktok has taken over a large amount of my free time.
Very interesting article, I like how you experimented with deleting the app.
tiktok can be addicting and in early quarantine tiktok consumed most of the hours of my day but I feel like I have learned to manage my free time and work time well.
I definitely spend a lot of my time on tik tok. I probably should delete it but I don’t want to lose my drafts and I think that if I didn’t waste my time on tik tok I would waste it on something else.
I think deleting TikTok for me personally would bring my screen time a lot. I think if it becomes uncontrollable, I would consider deleting the app.
I’ve took a break from social media for two weeks last summer and it was definitely difficult but rewarding! And I would agree, it did reduce my screen time after and I would recommend it to everyone.
I agree! It has been hard for me to delete TikTok because of how addicting it is. But I believe it would be best for me since it lowers my attention rate.
Very inspiring that your taking your time back after all that screen time!
I think it is super good that you realized that tik tok is not a healthy app, and is very addictive.
I also struggled when I deleted the social media platform, but I agree that it was something that needed to be done.
Like Andrew Hui, my most used app is Tik Tok. I have also been using Tik Tok since it was called musical.ly. I relate to a lot of things Andrew mentioned in this article! I do not spend as much time as he does on the app, but I definitely waste a good amount of time scrolling through videos. Taking a break from social media is not only helpful to clear your mind but it also helps you be more productive.
I also spend a lot of time on TikTok and social media, it’s definitely something I want to reduce because it keeps me from being productive.
i don’t use tiktok because sometimes i don’t understand waht the posts were talking about