For this digital detox experiment, I decided to give up TikTok for five days. Of all the platforms I use, TikTok felt the most interesting because my relationship with it has evolved over the years. During COVID, it quickly became one of my favorite apps. I loved following creators and finding inspiration, whether it was fashion, shows, recipes, or just watching lifestyle content and funny videos. Especially during COVID, this app helped pass the time and helped create a sense of community where everyone was going through the same thing.
Lately though TikTok has felt completely different. I started realizing this in the last few months. Instead of discovering content I genuinely enjoyed, I started noticing how much of my feed was ads and sponsored posts. I felt like I was searching for the creators I used to love to watch, and even when the content was entertaining, it often felt like a product link or promotion.
Before starting the detox, I checked my screen time and found out that I was spending an average of one hour and 47 minutes a day on TikTok. For the five-day experiment, I tracked how often I wanted to open the app, what I did instead, and how I felt at the end of each day. On day one, I reached for TikTok about 14 times, and by day five that number dropped to five. Across the week, my urge to check the app clearly decreased as I got used to not having it as my default form of entertainment. I also rated my focus and energy each day on a scale of 1 to 5, with my average focus rating going from a two at the beginning of the week to a four at the end of the week. I started reaching for other outlets, like reading, listening to audiobooks, and engaging with podcasts I hadn’t listened to in a while. I noticed that without TikTok filling every second, I was more present. I really enjoyed finding other things to do and spending my time more intentionally. It also forced me not to immediately reach for my phone as soon as I woke up. Instead, I got up, started my day, put on some music, and went for a walk. Then, after I got ready, I would reach for social media.
This experiment connected closely to the ideas in Stolen Focus, especially the idea that our attention is constantly being pulled in small directions. My TikTok habit wasn’t always intentional; often it was automatic, and most of the time I didn’t even remember the content I was engaging with. What surprised me most was that I did not miss TikTok as much as I thought I would. With social media converging, TikTok-style content overlaps a lot with other platforms, and I missed the habit more than the app itself.
Overall, this detox helped me realize that something can feel normal in your routine without adding much value to your life.
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