Reels on Instagram have become one of the biggest sensations on the internet, especially among younger audiences. This rising popularity of short videos is also giving rise to a negative impact, where many of us are getting addicted to scrolling Reels and teens are particularly vulnerable to this problem. Although Meta offers features like quiet mode and daily timers, those have not proven to be effective enough. That’s why Instagram has now introduced a new warning where it will prompt users to close the app at night if the usage exceeds 10 minutes.
This feature will be implemented for teenagers to encourage them to sleep, instead of scrolling Reels and spending time on direct messages (DMs) at bedtime. The feature will also be available on Facebook and its Messenger app.
Instagram has also experimented with similar features in the past, like app timers. It allows users to select a time limit for their app usage, post which the platform warns them to close the app. However, these features can only motivate users to step away from their screens, but the actual results still depend on an individual’s self-control.
Meta also has a parental supervision feature, where parents can monitor the time spent by their child on Instagram and Facebook apps. It shows a dashboard of the total time spent per day, along with a daily average timer for the week. This will help parents educate their siblings to control their screen time and explore the real world.
Tips to Stop the Urge to Open Instagram
While I am not a teenager, I am still quite close to the group of youngsters at the age of 22. Hence, I understand very well how hard it is to simply close the Instagram app to prevent tireless scrolling. Unfortunately, it is not that easy as it sounds.
While many suggest that uninstalling the Instagram app is the best way to go, a sudden halt to this addicting activity can often cause more harm than help. From my experience, keeping your phone away from your reach is an effective way to distract yourself.
Another step that you can take is to disable the notifications of Instagram entirely, which is often the reason for you to open the app.
Self-control does play an important role, as it’s the biggest power which will help you to overcome this complication. Here are some measures that you can take to reduce your overall screen time:
- Avoid using your phone, laptop, or any other screen 30 minutes before going to bed.
- Meditate for at least 10 minutes every day, which will help you to improve your focus.
- Try not to carry your phone while you are outside for your routine walk or exercise.
- Do not try to shift to any other time-consuming app as a distraction. This will only replace one problem with another.
- Prefer reading physical books when possible, instead of using your phone/tablet as an e-reader.
Of course, at the end of the day, individual choices will define how well one can control social media addiction, which can be a serious problem for some. And for those who feel they might need some extra help, talking to a professional in this matter can be particularly useful.
