Now, let’s talk about the issue of news and social media. the environment we live in. Regardless of the subject that fascinates or divides us, current events do, in a sense, drive us. It is catastrophic how much time we spend arguing over this and particularly spitting out our wrath.

It is counterintuitive, to be sure, because I publish my work and use social media. But that’s exactly where this perception originates. in this overabundance. I frequently find the atmosphere to be odd, even frightening, when I utilize Bluesky, X, and others. As soon as you see individuals fighting, you become enamored with the throng and begin arguing with them. When current events are involved, it becomes much more complex.

For the sake of our mental health, what if we stopped and moderated everything? What would happen if we began to breathe?

We’ll do a quick analysis and offer some advice.

Social Media and News: An Explosive Mix!

The Dark Side of Social Media

Indeed, there are a lot of good things about social media, young Padawan. such as keeping in touch with loved ones, having similar hobbies, and discovering new places. On social media, I’ve met individuals, found concepts that have changed me, and gained a lot of knowledge.

However, for several years now it has been unhealthy land. There is too much room for unhelpful criticism. Too much animosity, arguments, score-settling, disparaging remarks, and videos that mock the unfortunate young person who was upset about leaving school are there. Too much dehumanization and a turn back toward a hateful, individualistic culture. As evidenced by the social media and TikTok commission, algorithms don’t actually make things easier; rather, they perpetuate this cycle by exposing us to the same subjects over and over again, which are becoming more and more profitable and contentious.

The average French person uses social media for two hours and forty minutes a day in 2025, up 27% from the year before, according to study. In the United States, it is currently 2 hours and 8 minutes. What about the younger ones? In general, we’re far ahead, and we’re particularly youthful. The child is already active on social media at the age of six. This is troubling because studies have indicated that it negatively impacts children’s development. Most significantly, does the time we and they spend with them benefit and enhance our minds? Infrequently.

1.2 The Poison of Continuous News

Overconsumption of information might be detrimental to our mental health. They’re the first to destroy your day, damn the news. In his video “I Stopped Watching the News a Year Ago”, Matt D’Avella discusses this. He described how severing information flows helped him feel less stressed, think more clearly, think about his family’s welfare, and make more time for the things that truly matter.

And I am fully aware of this as we are inundated with information all the time—at home, at the bus stop, even while we are using the restroom or meditating. The worst part is that it’s never fun since there are a lot of individuals there to spread a philosophy that no one can agree with or to invoke evil (“evil is omnipresent”) while pointing the finger at a group of people without actually providing a workable solution. The brain is deprived of the chance to pause and reflect; it’s like fast food, which we must consume right away, causing us to declare “oh yes, they’re right” and turn into zombies that recite facts spontaneously. The intellect becomes weary.

In Cal Newport’s book on digital minimalism, he talks about “attention fragmentation.” Even if you don’t live in the actual world, you must be active on social media and leave comments on every news channel post. And our mental health is negatively impacted.

1.3 Strange Atmosphere at the Party

Everything is obviously politicized on social media. Every post and every viewpoint turns into a target. Of course, does your dog Toufix think that people are dying and the earth is burning when he’s playing? Correct? Which breed of dog should I prefer? Regardless of the unimportant topic, I regularly come across posts like this one, which utilize their love of classification to intimidate: “You are the source of the problem, because you are a privileged person” or “The problem comes from you, so go home.”

A horrible loop has begun: offensive and contentious remarks made against a person → poisonous contribution → harassment, intimidation, etc. To be honest, I’ve always thought this paradigm is terrible since it stops us from exchanging ideas, discussing them, and—most importantly—looking for methods to move forward. It is imperative that you answer, as “silent people are complicit.”

Therefore, no, and we should encourage modest acts. Most significantly, it turns into judgment if you don’t know the individual. News and politics follow the same pattern, creating a draining and unhealthy environment that is rife with worry.

To be honest, I’ve tempered this environment and set up rules to be good to myself.

2. Concerning Me

2.1 The Experience

I had developed a somewhat hostile relationship with news and social media. I want to express my thoughts, scroll endlessly, reply endlessly, and be everywhere at once. The issue is that it made me angry, and I was angry at everyone. In particular, I began to exhibit this gloomy, sardonic personality and, more importantly, a lack of enthusiasm for life. Sincerely, I had begun doomscrolling without noticing how much time I was wasting. In 2024, would you say that 44% of people lose sense of time because to doomscrolling and that the average screen time is 47 seconds? It’s a catastrophe to keep up with a vital subject.

You must cherish every day and look for these small pleasures, such as a smile, a moment in nature, a minor abrasion, a small hardship, etc. You must value the small victories that come from putting our habits into practice.

2.2 How I Did It

I began by charting my routines, noting how much time I spent on each task, why I performed it, and what made me happy both now and later in the day.

Starting a digital detox: For instance, cutting back on the amount of time I spend on social media each day: Check private messages on social media for 30 minutes. To help me stay focused while working, I use Blocksite or Forest.

allowing myself a brief break, either with or without a screen. Similar to the morning and evening, when I read, meditate, work on modest projects, or go to sleep… Sleep is nice, they say.

Filtering my subscriptions, limiting social media accounts—less, but better quality.

And primarily, I use three for private messaging: two where I can be sure I’ll get a response, and one that lets me talk to groups like the village, former pupils, etc.

2.3 How Others Have Set Up Things to Overcome This

I am aware that The Minimalists’ Joshua and Ryan have taken on a project that interests me and, more significantly, seems to work. Matt D’Avella demonstrates that removing oneself from social media for a year and maintaining a journal to evaluate our mental health is effective. Therefore, it’s a great choice to think about, but it’s an addiction like tobacco, so quitting cold turkey isn’t the best decision, and especially…

I think it’s your responsibility to create a thorough plan outlining your goals for the future. Joshua and Ryan’s website can be a good choice if you can communicate in English.

While it’s true that a year without social media is challenging, is 30 days really possible?

Matt’s video can help: Matt D’Avella’s video on the social media challenge.

3. A Bit of Minimalism?

It’s a genuine and intriguing solution. You know, we get overloaded with notifications, information, and outrage when we are on social media all the time. It’s like someone jingling keys all the time to get your attention. That’s really unacceptable. This is the issue that made me decide to implement: polarization, anxiety, and distraction of attention. I promise that it becomes disturbing to see your phone cluttered with notifications all the time or even to begin humming Meta’s notification sound.

So here are solutions:

• ✅ Limit social media use: it’s normal to limit your daily usage to one hour, which is half of the time you spend on it. Next, progressively tighten this restriction.
• ✅ Filter, hidden words: If using social media is necessary for you. Set up a list of keywords to avoid topics likely to create anxiety. It’s about hiding or blocking people who create it. You’re not friends with them, so you shouldn’t have any regrets, unless they’re part of your close circle.
• ✅ Disengage: what about a day without connectivity? Try to follow through on your plans, whether they are weekly, monthly, or vacation-related. For example, solely using the smartphone to send news via family instant chat.
• ✅ Restore connections: approach the positive aspects again with your loved ones, get involved locally or engage in a recreational activity such as reading, writing, gardening, and so on.
• ✅ Promote conversation about subjects you find interesting: Why not use your hour on social media each day to talk about the best album you’ve ever listened to, the most recent book you’ve read, or the most recent documentary you’ve seen? And accompany it with a motivational picture. People may be inspired by this content to desire to enhance their interactions and reevaluate how they view social media. Returning to distribution and good news would be beneficial.

There are plenty of more tips out there; don’t be afraid to look for them.

4. Final Word

Okay, tell me if you’ve read it. But we can’t stop the world, Zeima! Yes, I do agree, but we may choose how to include all of this. What if we made room in our minds? Did we breathe? And we went back to the basic things we like?

This is just a quick reflection. Have you ever thought about how you relate to screens? And how can you cut down on the amount of time you spend on news and social media? I’m eager to read your works and see the actions you’ve taken.

Cover image from Anastasia Kazakova https://fr.freepik.com/author/anastasiakazakova