According to Common Sense Media, teens spend an average of nine hours online on social media every day. For the next seven days, I am going to break that statistic and go completely “MIA” on social media for the next week. No Instagramming, checking my Snapchat streaks and casually browsing through any and every social media platform. Let’s see if I can succeed through this challenge for the next 168 hours. Can you?

Day One

I felt as if I did not need to remind myself of the social media detox today due to the fact that I had it in the back of my mind to not give in to the temptations. Today was Monday, so I had practice right after school, then homework immediately when I got home. I did find one thing very interesting though, on my way home from practice at the red light I had an urge to pick up my phone which is a habit I am hoping to break because I never really noticed it that I did it until now. I did not feel like being on social media today due to all the homework and how tired I was from the start of the week, so overall I did not give in to social media.

Day Two

I noticed today that during the school day I am not on social media unless I am absolutely free of work and bored. Today was one of those days where I was not as busy at school so it was hard to fill the time other than my phone. I was able to pull out my homework within those times and get ahead on the upcoming assignments due for the week. Not only that but when I got home from practice instead of going to bed later, I was able to finish my homework and go to bed an hour earlier than typical. Today I did not have any temptations or cravings to pick up and check in on my socials, so success again.

Day Three

Today after school I had a long bus ride to the swim meet so I was feeling bored and really disconnected from social media. As everyone around me was on their phones and laughing and giggling at their screens I felt my “FOMO” come into full flight. I feel like social media should never be the cause of my moods, but it is hard not to fall into the urge of watching to go back to something that has been my normal for so long. I did give in and cheat once, only to scroll through Tik Tok on the way there, and immediately felt guilty.

Day Four

Not going to lie, last night was the first time in a long time I had the deepest, best sleep in a long time. I feel like social media detox has been playing such a positive role in my mental and now, physical health. I have been able to go to bed earlier since I don’t have to rely on the infinitive feed of Tik Tok or Snapchat to keep me awake. I only logged into Instagram once to post a school-related photo but it was challenging to resist the urge to keep scrolling.

Day Five

Today was Friday which meant I have the weekend ahead to keep unplugged from social media. I was not as busy at school and did not have any assignments to do for any of my classes, so I was very bored in those moments where I was free. I also hung out with my friends tonight, which I noticed that a lot of our time is spent just hanging out together… while on our phones. My “FOMO” was back into full swing and I gave myself a cheat day, and then immediately regretted it.

Day Six

It was such a gloomy day outside and all I wanted to do was lay in bed and be on my phone but I wanted to finish strong with my challenge. I picked up my book I am reading for English class and got really invested in it. Time seemed to pass by faster than if I were on my phone scrolling through social media, and after I finally put the book down I felt very productive and proud of myself for resisting the temptations.

Day Seven

I woke up immediately felt such a burst of energy and motivation to get started with the day. I wrote a to-do list for myself and got everything done on my list, with no distractions which would have not been the case if I was deeply engrossed in social media. I realized I do not have anymore urges to pick up my phone at red lights, before bed and I have also learned to start more conversations with those around me simply because I do not have an all-time distraction in my hand.

Would I do this again?

Yes, I would absolutely do this again. I feel as if this digital detox allowed me to clear my brain and hit the “reset” button on all things digital. I was not letting hours fly by where I was viewing the activities of others’ lives but instead allowing myself to live more at the moment.