I read a lot about the effects of chronic, daily hours-long engagement with social media. Endless smartphone scrolling. The go-to thing when there’s any idle time. I see such behavior play out in the gym at my health club as well.
I also support Fair Play, a nonprofit advocating awareness of childhood harms and ways to help kids live a screen-free childhood (the freedom to just be kids). And, naturally, addressing the question of at what age screens make sense.
The research has been clear as to the effects. But I find personal accounts of abstaining from social media particularly interesting. A detox, so to speak, much like some who do food fasts for a few days.
So, here’s a diary of dealing with negative drift. And note that the author is in his 40’s, with likely a fully developed frontal lobe [1], unlike a child or adolescent facing the same onslaught of social media slop.
It’s a time out from social media, sort of a retreat to a more natural rhythm, perhaps an homage to Henry David Thoreau’s much longer classic memoir of Walden Pond:
There has been much speculation as to why Thoreau went to live at the pond in the first place. E. B. White stated on this note, “Henry went forth to battle when he took to the woods, and Walden is the report of a man torn by two powerful and opposing drives – the desire to enjoy the world and the urge to set the world straight“, … Others have assumed Thoreau’s intention during his time at Walden Pond was “to conduct an experiment: Could he survive, possibly even thrive, by stripping away all superfluous luxuries, …
• PC World > I did a 1-week social media detox. These 4 immediate benefits surprised me by Dave Parrack, Contributor, PCWorld (12-29-2029) – Can a modern day “Walden Pond” retreat – life without social media, change fitness and mental health?
Key points (quoted)
- I instantly became more productive
- I went out for more walks outside
- I slept better and longer
- My mood improved massively over the week
As someone in their 40s, … I am currently active on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. … I am also generally in read-only mode on X while still debating whether to delete my account entirely. … Working from home in my own office … I’ve fallen into the same trap everyone else has of defaulting to scrolling through content whenever I have a moment to spare. And this is something I dislike about myself. I also feel like the endless barrage of information (and misinformation) is having an adverse effect on me.
Notes
[1] Our brain’s frontal lobe has been the poster child of cognitive & emotional growth from childhood into your adulthood. As, for example, regarding decision-making and judgment. But brain research (neuroscience) shows a more complex, ongoing development.
Addiction to social media’s slop and negativity, no matter what your age, likely hinders (stunts) or harms brain health.
• Medical Xpress > No, your brain doesn’t suddenly ‘fully develop’ at 25. by Taylor Snowden, The Conversation, edited by Lisa Lock, reviewed by Robert Egan (12-27-2025) – Here’s what the neuroscience actually shows.