The answer is not to delete everything and live like a monk. Social media serves real purposes — connection, information, entertainment. The answer is strategic boundaries that let you keep the value while removing the risk.
Start with time limits. iOS Screen Time lets you set daily limits per app. Set Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter to 30 minutes each. When the limit hits, you will see a screen asking if you want to continue. That pause is the intervention. Most relapses happen on autopilot. The pause breaks the autopilot.
Next, curate your feed aggressively. Unfollow every account that posts content even remotely triggering. Follow accounts that post content aligned with who you are becoming — fitness, cooking, nature, learning, whatever genuinely interests you. Your feed should bore your old self.
Finally, turn off notifications for social media apps entirely. Every notification is a hook pulling you back into the app at a random moment. You should open social media intentionally, not because your phone buzzed.
Set time limits, curate ruthlessly, and turn off notifications. Use social media on your terms.
Go to Settings → Screen Time → App Limits. Set a 30-minute daily limit on your most-used social media app.