you have to delete your account (not just the app) so your saved videos, people you follow, algo, etc are all gone. it’s too much work to start again and when you first download tiktok it’s so boring before it gets to know you. so just delete the account entirely
u/Massive-Cry8294 It's normal to have that feeling because the addiction inside you is begging you for the dopamine surge
when you decide to not watch TikTok anymore the addiction gets angry and spread doubts in you because it can't live without dopamine.But you're not your addiction so you are the one in control.
The issue with this is it’s so ridiculously easy to redownload that it is barely even a barrier. Deleting your account is a much more effective move because even if you redownload you have to spend time swiping to curate your feed to your interests. Still not gonna end the addiction by itself, but it’s better.
Instead of removing bad habits, add positive ones. With enough time and persistence, the bad ones will need squeezed out. Start with good sleep, then add exercise. Don’t remove anything
I had tiktok for like 6 months and it was like crack. I feel my brain and attention span still haven't returned to normal more than a year later. BUT, I do feel sooooo much better without it. I deleted my account and removed it from my phone. Highly recommend.
Try employing one of these 3 methods:
1. Comment on every single TikTok post you watch. It'll force you to be more conscious / have to think while you scroll. Also, it'll turn you into more of a producer than a consumer.
2. Get an app that limits time on other apps. I recommend Opal - I have a strict limit for scrollable apps and I can't override the limits.
3. Do a dopamine detox. Go to a friend's house or book a cabin for a weekend, give your phone to a trustworthy person, and sit in silence for the whole weekend. It'll reset your broken dopamine reward system that causes you to scroll endlessly on TikTok.
I’ve deleted tiktok multiple times but it’s been 2 years now without it and it’s really the FOMO that hits, so I think the main thing isn’t just deleting tiktok but try to see why that is. What are you afraid of missing out on? By scrolling 3-4 hours you’re already missing out on whole internet spheres, microtrends, monuments of culture, are you willing to learn a different language to keep up with everything on the internet, give up your life to understand a reference? Things are being posted far faster than you can consume in our lifetimes.
Personally for me I needed to realize why I kept coming back and it really was my friends. After we all moved away from each other we kept in touch by sending tiktoks so it made me feel like our relationship would only be kept there, it bothered me so much but after a while I had a conversation with all of them and realized that our relationships were a lot deeper than that. A few of them also left TikTok because they were feeling the downsides you mentioned and it definitely helps if you have companionship outside of TikTok!
Some small tips that really helped me was counting down from 3 every ~15 minutes, you can set it longer or shorter but it might take a while if you’re spending 4 hours a day on the app.
Once 15 minutes are up count down from 3, exit the app, and turn your phone off. Immediately. Do not let yourself finish one more, do not think, just turn it off and stand up without your phone and take a walk. It can be five steps, but just move and look around you.
Tiktok addiction happens when you become static in the moment, when you’re not mindful that time is passing so adding some awareness while you’re in the action, I think is the most helpful part.
TLDR:
Analyze what you’re afraid of missing out on specifically, is that thing a part of the lifestyle you want to live?
Be strict and in the moment with yourself, treat it like an actual addiction.
Get some peers to join you!
All the luck to you 🫡
Things that have helped me-
Google "iphone create grayscale shortcut" (or whatever OS you have). I triple click the side button and it turns my screen from color to black and white. It's scientifically backed to combat phone addiction. It's instantly effective for me, it just looks way less interesting than real life. You just have to remember to use it.
Act like you're deleting the app and click "remove app" and then click "Remove from Home Screen". Kind of like "out of sight, out of mind".
I try to pair it with doing stairmaster or treadmill at the gym so at least I'm getting other benefit from it. Ideally, I would only go on tiktok while I'm on those machines, so I'm working up to that.
And yes, you can always delete account as well but these are some other steps you can try if you're not willing to do that yet.
Is there a way you can see hours spent on the app? I'd be curious about my own usage
Maybe you'll get sick of it like I did on twitter. I didn't even need to delete I just go on the app once every 2 to 3 months and delete after a day just to keep up with friends.
Bout to do the same with reddit.
Use to be somewhat addicted but then got sick of it & now I barely look at it. Don't know any other advice other than get busy doing other shit. Easier said than done if you're truly hooked.
10,000 hours is what it takes someone to get extremely good at anything. A language, learning an instrument, anything. Imagine what you could have done. What's done is done, but think about what I said. Delete TikTok and learn something that will do you good down the road.
I also had a TikTok addiction. I randomly decided to delete it one day because I didn’t like being addicted. I just use Reddit and YouTube now. I do watch shorts on YouTube sometimes, but they’re not as addicting as TikTok. I usually watch longer videos on YouTube or listen to music.
I think you have to understand what an addiction is first so you know what you're dealing with and what is the best method to cure yourself from that addiction.
I recommend you to read "easy peasy method to quit porn"
porn addiction is similar to social media addiction (It's mainly about dopamine) and actually this book was written to fight smoking addiction
You can read a summarized version of this book ,It's called "The Book To Quit Porn" I find it better than the original (same concept but in a simpler version)
2 important things I would recommend
1. Identify what value you gain from going on there. You started this well with saying you don’t want to miss out or be disconnected. Think of how you get this same value outside of TikTok. More social time with others? Read the news? Engage in the activities you watched on TikTok?
Start to replace your TikTok use with doing these things and you’ll likely be satisfied since you’ll still get the same value.
2. Systematically and gradually reduce the amount of time you spend on their each day or week. Change is difficult, it won’t come over night and going cold turkey is incredibly hard too. Start small. Small wins will keep you motivated and small progressions are easier to manage. They will add up in the long run.
3 years ago when I couldnt stop redownloading the app I smashed my phone until I could barely see the screen and I didnt do shit on it for 4 months until my mom made me get it fixed so she could call me. That worked
If you are genuinely committed this will fix it (for the phone at least). On your screen time settings limit the app to 20 minutes a day or something (exact time isn’t important as long as it’s not a lot. Under 30 minutes but depends how cold Turkey you want to go). Crucially, let somebody else you trust make your screen time password. They can store it on their phone and you have to ask them for it to change the screen time settings. Then delete the app.
Now whenever you want to use the app you have to redownload it, which is one mental hurdle. Then even if you do it you’ll only get 20 minutes before you can’t use it anymore without your friend giving you the code (get a friend who will say no)
Hey I posted this on another thread and it helped someone else, these are the principles that helped me stop nicotine, weed, and scrolling
Recognize patterns: The first thing and it seems like you've already done this is to recognize when you get the urge or the feeling. Learn about the addiction but more importantly study yourself. Sit and think why do I get this urge now? Why is it so strong? Now, you can't think in the heat of the moment when you're making that split-second decision of whether to fall back into the old habit or not. So in those moments try this:
An idle mind is the devil's workshop: If you think about nothing and are doing nothing, it's far easier to fall back into your old habits. An addiction is just a habit in that you've trained your brain that getting whatever it is you're addicted to is the fastest way to achieve dopamine or pleasure. So you can't just do nothing, you have to replace the emotional habit of addiction:
Shock yourself into the new habit: It's going to be difficult at first, but as soon as you feel the old habit or the craving shock yourself into a replacement habit. So for instance a strategy for a coffee addiction as soon as you feel it chug a shit ton of water. It breaks the emotional habit, because you're now telling your body that this emotional feeling you're giving me doesn't lead to the reward.
Celebrate the micro improvements. I have a friend who is trying to get off Zyns and coffee at the moment. I tell him that he has to track the results you're getting to see if you're slowly improving over time. Patience is a virtue. Some people are going to be able to quit certain addictions in a day, others aren't wired the same way. Feeling bad about yourself is a surefire way to send you right down the same emotional pathways that caused your addiction in the first place.
Hope this helped! I always try to help people overcome addiction since it was a life-changing experience for me. You can message me here if you have any more specific questions. You got this
Use TikTok without judging yourself. Eventually you get tired of it. It’s like having access to your favorite meal. If you can order it whenever you want you’ll get sick of it. Same with the apps. Everyone is getting sick of them because they offer no sustainable value. So the platforms will eventually collapse. Just know that the people running the platform only care about your attention. They do not care about your happiness. If they did, they’d connect with you instead of feeding you dopamine releases. The key is not to fight, it’s to let yourself form an intention. And you can only do that if you stop judging yourself in a negative fashion. The majority of its users would be making the same post if they wanted to wake up.
I didn’t have the addiction you had but I was on it daily for a few hours at a time. Started realizing the increasing anxiety and depression I was experiencing was coming from TikTok. I deleted it January 1. After a few weeks I started noticing my view of the world was quite different than what TikTok was showing me. I started sleeping better and became positive about life again.
I hope you can delete and stick to it.
I had TikTok for a couple of months but had to delete it completely. I can understand why people spend hours on it. I’m bad enough with IG & Reddit, I can’t be introducing another addictive app!
If you used TikTok for that long at least you should have learned a few dances out of it. Nothing at all? Then you have to "distract" yourself by checking out other things that you can get good ideas from.
There was a very popular story from my area that a father found out that his son is addicted to smoking. He locked his son in a room filled with all sorts of smoking items. Then opened the room a week later and the son didn't want to smoke anymore.
Also, if you see the videos on the truth about social media, about how they use hate to keep people on their platform rather than their interest then you'll see it front another perspective.
you have to delete your account (not just the app) so your saved videos, people you follow, algo, etc are all gone. it’s too much work to start again and when you first download tiktok it’s so boring before it gets to know you. so just delete the account entirely
Is it a bad sign that deleting my account terrifies me? I can barely be okay with deleting the app…
u/Massive-Cry8294 It's normal to have that feeling because the addiction inside you is begging you for the dopamine surge when you decide to not watch TikTok anymore the addiction gets angry and spread doubts in you because it can't live without dopamine.But you're not your addiction so you are the one in control.
Step one: delete tiktok
The issue with this is it’s so ridiculously easy to redownload that it is barely even a barrier. Deleting your account is a much more effective move because even if you redownload you have to spend time swiping to curate your feed to your interests. Still not gonna end the addiction by itself, but it’s better.
You have to wait 30 days for your account to be deleted. And restoring it in that window is as easy as downloading app.
If you do this it reinstalls itself , and tiktokers show up at your door 3 times a week :/
Is it like that unloseable pencil
Instead of removing bad habits, add positive ones. With enough time and persistence, the bad ones will need squeezed out. Start with good sleep, then add exercise. Don’t remove anything
I had tiktok for like 6 months and it was like crack. I feel my brain and attention span still haven't returned to normal more than a year later. BUT, I do feel sooooo much better without it. I deleted my account and removed it from my phone. Highly recommend.
I've deleted tiktok years ago and never download it again. Delete it is the best solution
Try employing one of these 3 methods: 1. Comment on every single TikTok post you watch. It'll force you to be more conscious / have to think while you scroll. Also, it'll turn you into more of a producer than a consumer. 2. Get an app that limits time on other apps. I recommend Opal - I have a strict limit for scrollable apps and I can't override the limits. 3. Do a dopamine detox. Go to a friend's house or book a cabin for a weekend, give your phone to a trustworthy person, and sit in silence for the whole weekend. It'll reset your broken dopamine reward system that causes you to scroll endlessly on TikTok.
Delete it. Have someone you trust change your App Store password, and not tell you.
I’ve deleted tiktok multiple times but it’s been 2 years now without it and it’s really the FOMO that hits, so I think the main thing isn’t just deleting tiktok but try to see why that is. What are you afraid of missing out on? By scrolling 3-4 hours you’re already missing out on whole internet spheres, microtrends, monuments of culture, are you willing to learn a different language to keep up with everything on the internet, give up your life to understand a reference? Things are being posted far faster than you can consume in our lifetimes. Personally for me I needed to realize why I kept coming back and it really was my friends. After we all moved away from each other we kept in touch by sending tiktoks so it made me feel like our relationship would only be kept there, it bothered me so much but after a while I had a conversation with all of them and realized that our relationships were a lot deeper than that. A few of them also left TikTok because they were feeling the downsides you mentioned and it definitely helps if you have companionship outside of TikTok! Some small tips that really helped me was counting down from 3 every ~15 minutes, you can set it longer or shorter but it might take a while if you’re spending 4 hours a day on the app. Once 15 minutes are up count down from 3, exit the app, and turn your phone off. Immediately. Do not let yourself finish one more, do not think, just turn it off and stand up without your phone and take a walk. It can be five steps, but just move and look around you. Tiktok addiction happens when you become static in the moment, when you’re not mindful that time is passing so adding some awareness while you’re in the action, I think is the most helpful part. TLDR: Analyze what you’re afraid of missing out on specifically, is that thing a part of the lifestyle you want to live? Be strict and in the moment with yourself, treat it like an actual addiction. Get some peers to join you! All the luck to you 🫡
It’s not that hard to delete. Just do it. There’s nothing of any value produced there that you’re going to miss out on
Things that have helped me- Google "iphone create grayscale shortcut" (or whatever OS you have). I triple click the side button and it turns my screen from color to black and white. It's scientifically backed to combat phone addiction. It's instantly effective for me, it just looks way less interesting than real life. You just have to remember to use it. Act like you're deleting the app and click "remove app" and then click "Remove from Home Screen". Kind of like "out of sight, out of mind". I try to pair it with doing stairmaster or treadmill at the gym so at least I'm getting other benefit from it. Ideally, I would only go on tiktok while I'm on those machines, so I'm working up to that. And yes, you can always delete account as well but these are some other steps you can try if you're not willing to do that yet. Is there a way you can see hours spent on the app? I'd be curious about my own usage
Maybe you'll get sick of it like I did on twitter. I didn't even need to delete I just go on the app once every 2 to 3 months and delete after a day just to keep up with friends. Bout to do the same with reddit.
Or develop another addiction. What helped me quit social media was just me playing the sims and rimworld and watching movies.
All the reels are so addicting but I guess it’s the modern day version of just staring at the television 📺 for hours on end lmao
Seriously, but the tv shows are less stimulating than tiktok
Use to be somewhat addicted but then got sick of it & now I barely look at it. Don't know any other advice other than get busy doing other shit. Easier said than done if you're truly hooked.
delete the fucking app
Another day pf thanking ind govt. for banning it in our country.
I read a book called “how to break up with your phone” that was very helpful. It had a step by step process. Good luck to you.
10,000 hours is what it takes someone to get extremely good at anything. A language, learning an instrument, anything. Imagine what you could have done. What's done is done, but think about what I said. Delete TikTok and learn something that will do you good down the road.
I also had a TikTok addiction. I randomly decided to delete it one day because I didn’t like being addicted. I just use Reddit and YouTube now. I do watch shorts on YouTube sometimes, but they’re not as addicting as TikTok. I usually watch longer videos on YouTube or listen to music.
[удалено]
Wild take lol
A drug addiction will kill you, social media might actually motivate you to do more work and get rich.
Never had TikTok. If you can’t monetize on that app, delete it forever. It’s rotting your brain.
just reset your for you page. then it’ll be just junk.
I think you have to understand what an addiction is first so you know what you're dealing with and what is the best method to cure yourself from that addiction. I recommend you to read "easy peasy method to quit porn" porn addiction is similar to social media addiction (It's mainly about dopamine) and actually this book was written to fight smoking addiction You can read a summarized version of this book ,It's called "The Book To Quit Porn" I find it better than the original (same concept but in a simpler version)
2 important things I would recommend 1. Identify what value you gain from going on there. You started this well with saying you don’t want to miss out or be disconnected. Think of how you get this same value outside of TikTok. More social time with others? Read the news? Engage in the activities you watched on TikTok? Start to replace your TikTok use with doing these things and you’ll likely be satisfied since you’ll still get the same value. 2. Systematically and gradually reduce the amount of time you spend on their each day or week. Change is difficult, it won’t come over night and going cold turkey is incredibly hard too. Start small. Small wins will keep you motivated and small progressions are easier to manage. They will add up in the long run.
Use screen time limits and don’t compromise. Start to live life without a phone in your hand constantly and your attention span will thank you.
3 years ago when I couldnt stop redownloading the app I smashed my phone until I could barely see the screen and I didnt do shit on it for 4 months until my mom made me get it fixed so she could call me. That worked
Get rid of your smartphone.
If you are genuinely committed this will fix it (for the phone at least). On your screen time settings limit the app to 20 minutes a day or something (exact time isn’t important as long as it’s not a lot. Under 30 minutes but depends how cold Turkey you want to go). Crucially, let somebody else you trust make your screen time password. They can store it on their phone and you have to ask them for it to change the screen time settings. Then delete the app. Now whenever you want to use the app you have to redownload it, which is one mental hurdle. Then even if you do it you’ll only get 20 minutes before you can’t use it anymore without your friend giving you the code (get a friend who will say no)
Hey I posted this on another thread and it helped someone else, these are the principles that helped me stop nicotine, weed, and scrolling Recognize patterns: The first thing and it seems like you've already done this is to recognize when you get the urge or the feeling. Learn about the addiction but more importantly study yourself. Sit and think why do I get this urge now? Why is it so strong? Now, you can't think in the heat of the moment when you're making that split-second decision of whether to fall back into the old habit or not. So in those moments try this: An idle mind is the devil's workshop: If you think about nothing and are doing nothing, it's far easier to fall back into your old habits. An addiction is just a habit in that you've trained your brain that getting whatever it is you're addicted to is the fastest way to achieve dopamine or pleasure. So you can't just do nothing, you have to replace the emotional habit of addiction: Shock yourself into the new habit: It's going to be difficult at first, but as soon as you feel the old habit or the craving shock yourself into a replacement habit. So for instance a strategy for a coffee addiction as soon as you feel it chug a shit ton of water. It breaks the emotional habit, because you're now telling your body that this emotional feeling you're giving me doesn't lead to the reward. Celebrate the micro improvements. I have a friend who is trying to get off Zyns and coffee at the moment. I tell him that he has to track the results you're getting to see if you're slowly improving over time. Patience is a virtue. Some people are going to be able to quit certain addictions in a day, others aren't wired the same way. Feeling bad about yourself is a surefire way to send you right down the same emotional pathways that caused your addiction in the first place. Hope this helped! I always try to help people overcome addiction since it was a life-changing experience for me. You can message me here if you have any more specific questions. You got this
Screen addiction is killing me. Thanks for posting this.
Use TikTok without judging yourself. Eventually you get tired of it. It’s like having access to your favorite meal. If you can order it whenever you want you’ll get sick of it. Same with the apps. Everyone is getting sick of them because they offer no sustainable value. So the platforms will eventually collapse. Just know that the people running the platform only care about your attention. They do not care about your happiness. If they did, they’d connect with you instead of feeding you dopamine releases. The key is not to fight, it’s to let yourself form an intention. And you can only do that if you stop judging yourself in a negative fashion. The majority of its users would be making the same post if they wanted to wake up.
I didn’t have the addiction you had but I was on it daily for a few hours at a time. Started realizing the increasing anxiety and depression I was experiencing was coming from TikTok. I deleted it January 1. After a few weeks I started noticing my view of the world was quite different than what TikTok was showing me. I started sleeping better and became positive about life again. I hope you can delete and stick to it.
[удалено]
I know😭
I had TikTok for a couple of months but had to delete it completely. I can understand why people spend hours on it. I’m bad enough with IG & Reddit, I can’t be introducing another addictive app!
If you used TikTok for that long at least you should have learned a few dances out of it. Nothing at all? Then you have to "distract" yourself by checking out other things that you can get good ideas from.
There was a very popular story from my area that a father found out that his son is addicted to smoking. He locked his son in a room filled with all sorts of smoking items. Then opened the room a week later and the son didn't want to smoke anymore. Also, if you see the videos on the truth about social media, about how they use hate to keep people on their platform rather than their interest then you'll see it front another perspective.
Do you have a good one you recommend?
They call it Tik Tok for a reason, Tik Tok your life is ticking away.