12 Ways Teens Can Resist the Urge and Spend Less Time Scrolling

Hello ladies and menfolk of the internet, how are you? Good, I hope? Today I am going to be discussing a topic that I have often struggled with, screentime. In this post, I will give you 12 ways teens can resist the urge and spend less time scrolling.

As teenagers, it is so easy to get lost in the worlds of social media and feel like we are missing out when we aren’t on it. This post will give you 12 easy and actionable tips to help reduce your screen time right now.

I hope it helps and happy reading.

Also, if you want to see more from me, then make sure to join my email list! You will hear from me every Sunday and upon joining will receive a daily planner and self-care workbook, so you don’t want to miss out.

*DISCLAIMER: This post may or may not contain affiliate links. An affiliate link allows me to make a small profit at no extra cost to you. Find more information in the disclaimer.

Okay, without further ado let’s get into the 12 ways teens can resist the urge and spend less time scrolling.

1. Set limits in settings

Use the screen time setting in your phone to track how much time you spend on your phone. Then look at your data and analyze which apps you need to set limits for. This will most likely be social media or games.

You should also shut off your phone from a few hours before you plan on going to bed a few hours after you wake up. This will give you time in the morning and evening to get off your phone, check out #7 for more information.

2. Do Not Disturb

You should be using Do Not Disturb or at least turn off the notifications for your most distracting apps. Do Not Disturb only allows calls from your favorites list to go through, that means the only notifications you will get are going to be the important ones.

Do Not Disturb is awesome because you can have it on all day or just set time constraints. For example, you could just have it on from 8 am to 3 pm, which is the time you would be in school.

3. Black and white display

By turning your phone display to grayscale, you won’t be tempted just to click on an app because of its eye-catching color. This tip will dramatically affect your social media usage, since most of those apps are very bright and colorful.

To turn on grayscale, go to Settings > general > Accessibility > Display accommodations > Color filters > Grayscale.

If you want to create a shortcut that allows you to easily enable and disable this feature by clicking 3 times on the power button, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut > Color Filters.

I have been using grayscale all summer and I have noticed that I have spent much less time on social media and aimlessly scrolling when I’m bored.

4. Have designated spots to use your phone

It is important to know where you should and shouldn’t be using your phone during the day.

For example, let’s say you want to spend more time with your family, then make it a rule you won’t bring your phone to the dinner table. Or maybe you want to stop being such a distracted driver, so stop bringing your phone in the car.You could also just put it somewhere that it isn’t easily accessible such as in the console or in the back seats.

You can also tell yourself that you can use your phone in your room, but not when in your bed. Whatever it is, just set boundaries for where and when you can be on your phone doing not productive things.

5. Charge your phone across the room from you when you go to sleep

You should not be charging your phone right next to your bed. When you do this, you are more likely to lose sleep and waste time scrolling through Instagram or TikTok.

That is why I suggest charging your phone across the room from you, this makes it so you have to physically get up to send a Snapchat message or to like an Instagram post.

If you want to learn how this tip is beneficial to your productivity, then read the post below.

6. Don’t take your phone to the bathroom

I know this is something boys mostly do, but I thought I should include it anyway.

Please don’t bring your phone into the bathroom. First of all, it’s kinda gross. And second, you will be wasting a lot of time.

There isn’t much to this tip, it is pretty much common sense.

7. Don’t use your phone before you go to bed or first thing in the morning

As I mentioned in #5, you should be charging your phone across the room from your bed. This helps by preventing you from not going on your phone before bed and immediately when you wake up.

The best way to prevent you from going on your phone is getting it out of sight and reach. Also by making a new nighttime and morning routine that you can stick to.

Going on your phone before bed makes it harder to fall asleep since your mind is still very active. In the morning, it can reduce your productivity and motivation for the day, so try to reduce your screen time during these times.

8. Get a watch

It is easy to fall in the trap of just saying you are going to look at your phone to check the time, but don’t do it. Checking your phone will only lead to going on other apps and wasting time.

Instead of having to pick your phone up all the time, get a watch. You can also get a clock in your room or whenever you’re out, ask others to check the time for you.

9. Put distracting apps out of sight

Once you have followed the advice in #1 you will be able to see which apps you waste the most time on. From there you can decide how to arrange your screen.

Social media apps and games should be put out of sight or in a folder. One idea is to put all of your apps in one folder, or in multiple so that when you check your phone to see what time it is, you don’t get distracted.

But if you are someone who likes order and organization, like I do, then this might not be the best option. Instead, you can try rearranging your home screen. Since your brain knows where every app is this will prevent you from subconsciously opening Instagram.

It will also take you more time to find the app you are looking for, which will discourage you even more from going on it.

10. Delete social media apps

This tip might seem a little extreme, especially during this day and age when everyone seems to be on multiple social media platforms. But trust me you’ll live without it.

If you can’t delete social permanently, then just delete them for a day or two just to give yourself some space. These apps can negatively impact our mental health and self-confidence.

You know what’s best for you, so if you realize these negative effects, then just try taking a break and seeing how you feel.

During this break, you should be focusing on yourself. To do this, you will need to be working on my Self-Care Workbook. This book gives you 20 pages of self-care worksheets to help you become your best self through self-love, self-care, and self-improvement.

This workbook is 100% free and will leave you feeling so so so good. It is a free downloadable PDF that you can fill out digitally or when printed out. I highly urge you to get started on it now if you truly want to see improvements within yourself.

11. Replace “phone time” with more valuable habits

Instead of going on your phone when you are bored or think you have nothing to do, try something else.

You could walk your dog around the block, start a new fiction book, or do an at-home workout from Youtube. There is always something you can do to help improve yourself and going on social media for hours isn’t one of them.

12. Leave your phone at home

When going out with your friends or family, try leaving your phone at home. This will allow you to spend more quality time with them and stay more present. You will also have more fun because you won’t be worried about if that boy you liked snapped you back or if your TikTok got enough likes.

Remember, it’s okay to take breaks and we should. No one needs to be online 24/7.