Growing up as a chronically online child with a lot to say and share with unrestricted internet access, I like many others have fallen victim to internet addiction. I dare say that it’s more rare these days that people are not victims of their devices, no matter the generation they spawned from.

Upon my routine doom-scrolling searching for something to watch on YouTube while I eat, I came across niche videos of people sharing their experiences doing this thing they refer to as a “dopamine detox.” Though I think that the word detox can be a tad misleading, it’s not what you think! To paraphrase from many sources, a “dopamine detox” (or, a more scientific term being ‘deficit’ as a result of cognitive behavioural therapy) in the context of social media abstinence is the resetting of the dopamine receptors in your brain by eliminating unhealthy habits and replacing them with other hobbies and activities as a way to reprogram what your brain finds pleasure in. In my case, social media addiction and doom-scrolling. 

Some people find themselves giving up video games, eating junk foods, or watching too much porn. In the nature of the misleading word, I am going to refer to this experiment as a dopamine deficit to more accurately describe what my brain will be experiencing. Keep in mind that I am not a specialist in neuroscience; simply someone who is introspective and curious in progressing my mental health. 

With that being said, take my anecdote with a grain of salt.

In my own case study, I will set up my criteria here: I deleted both Instagram and TikTok from my phone—the most consuming and damaging to my mental health. Other apps such as YouTube and Facebook (I have family on there, what can I say) are still on my phone as they are apps that are not as consuming for me, and if I’m being honest their presence does not change the fact that it feels like I’m quitting cold turkey by leaving behind the apps I do use the most. By personally restricting myself from the social media that I find myself addicted to, I hope to be able to improve my mental well-being, spending more time focusing on my employment (such as writing this article!), school work, and even spend more time developing my artistic hobbies. As a socially reclusive first year, I’m optimistic about this experiment!

Day 1 (Sunday, February 28th) - Apps deleted the night before

It may just be the four hours of sleep but man, today I have noticed my mood to be very irritable and my anxiety to be high. A few times I have caught myself trying to open TikTok only to be greeted with its absence from my home screen—the mind really does crave that instant gratification subconsciously, huh? There is a sense of relief despite this though, a relief that I’m not wasting hours away feeding into my insecurities and experiencing information overload. I finished an entire movie today (Vivarium for those that are curious) instead of watching TikToks or Instagram reels, which was pleasant but albeit hard to focus on at times. I was a lot more productive as well, doing school-work out of boredom (well, and necessity but I digress.)

Day 2 (Saturday, March 1st) 

Today I have experienced very mixed emotions. I find that I keep grabbing my phone, anxiously looking for something to do on it to ease my boredom. Instead I’ll scroll through my camera roll or check to see if anyone has texted me. I tried to watch a movie, (this time it was It Follows) but an aimless anxiety has been persistent on reeling away my focus. I keep checking my notifications, and pausing the movie to do little tasks. I think it is worth mentioning that although I am neurodivergent, I have no diagnosed attention deficit disorders, so I believe that this behaviour is a product of my habits. While my instinctual anxiety has been high, I have been more mindful of my body and the outdoors, feeling a sense of relief that I am living my life for myself. I have no one to compare myself or prove myself to, just the feeling of existing is easing this difficult transition.

Day 3 (Sunday, March 2nd)

Did you know that like other addictions such as drugs and alcohol, your body can experience withdrawal from social media too? I know this now because I needed to validate the awful feelings that I am having. According to Addictionhelp.com, “Withdrawal can occur with social media addiction due to the brain’s reliance on the flood of dopamine from using social media.

When the brain becomes accustomed to social media usage that triggers dopamine release, it may struggle to function without the constant ‘high’ dopamine causes.” Some of these symptoms include anxiety, depression, irritability, mood swings, loneliness, boredom, sleep disordersn increase in appetite, feelings of fear, despair, anxiety, or grief (seems kind of counterintuitive, huh?)

So essentially, my dopamine levels are as predicted, in a deficit. The irritability I feel can be attributed to the sudden reduction of this hormone, which sucks to say the least. I guess this is just one of those “trust the process” things.

Day 4 (Monday, March 3rd)

Despite almost getting a full eight hours of sleep, I am incredibly lethargic and once again irritable. It was really hard to get out of bed and be productive, but a part of this process is forcing oneself to do things by accepting that you’re going to feel like shit at first. So, I forced myself to be physically and mentally active and spoiler: it sucks and I don’t wanna do this anymore (but alas I will continue).

Day 8 (March 7th)

After going a week without being able to doom scroll or check my notifications first thing in the morning I can confidently say that I hate it! The fatigue has been the hardest thing to combat, you wouldn’t expect this side effect to be that bad, but it is. It can be hard to focus on my productive tasks sometimes, but that’s why it’s important to be doing this, so that I can build up my mental stamina.

Day 14 (March 13th)

I’m almost at the two week checkpoint, and I’ve been combatting my withdrawal symptoms with frequent meditation and exercise which has not been easy, but it has been effective. That is, until I got sick. Now having a minor head cold the only thing that I want to do is be on my phone in bed, and it has been hard to resist. I have been frequently looking at pictures of my pets in my camera roll (I guess you can say it is analogous to smokers needing to do something with their hands to break their habit) and have been playing on my DS (still an improvement). I’m getting used to not having anything to do on my phone, but I still constantly grab it desiring some sort of mental relief.

Day 17 (March 17th)

Life has been getting easier, I don’t really have the desire to go on social media even though I do still admittedly spend some time scrolling through my camera roll to look at pictures of my pets— that habit hasn’t really gone away. Not being on my phone for almost three weeks now has encouraged me to spend more quality time with people, which during this stressful exam season is something I need. Speaking of exams:I am much more focused on what I have to get done with the limited distraction, which is very helpful.

Coming in at day 33 (April 4th) I have still yet to download any social media platforms onto my phone (which wasn’t intentional, I just have no strong desire to do so). While I am still not immune to spending leisure time on my phone, being without the external pressures of my peers and the exposure to vast amounts of instant information was nice to get used to, not to mention how it has been beneficial overall to my mental functioning. I do not have much desire to use those apps again, but I will return to them eventually as I am aware of the day and age that we live in.

One thing that I have gained from this experience was no longer relying on the need for these apps to entertain myself or seek validation, which I truly think that anyone can reap at least some benefits from doing. I can’t say for sure how my brain is intaking and reacting to dopamine transmitters, but I can say that picking up hobbies such as yoga and drawing as well as forcing my brain to sit through long tasks has made me content and more relaxed, therefore making my “Dopamine Deficit” a personal success.