6 ways to set healthy boundaries with social media

While social media certainly has its benefits (like creating a sense of community and serving up funny videos to make you laugh) it can also have negative impacts. Spending extended periods of time scrolling can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction, impact your sleep, and cause you to withdraw from your day-to-day life—all of which can be detrimental to your mental health. 

Multiple studies have also shown that excessive social media use is linked to anxiety and depression. Most recently, a study published in the October 2024 issue of Health Economics found that college students who increased their social media use by one hour per day were more likely to be anxious and depressed than their peers.

How can I tell if I’m spending too much time on social media? 

The easiest way to figure out whether you’re spending too much time on social media is to check the Screen Time feature on your phone. If you’re shocked by the average time you’re spending on your socials each day, that’s a good indicator that you’re going overboard, says Jay Varela, LPC. 

Another clear indicator that you’re spending too much time on social media is when your scrolling sessions start to get in the way of other activities that would feel more fulfilling. If you’re spending two hours before bed watching TikToks instead of reading or winding down, or spending dinnertime looking at Instagram Reels instead of talking to your partner, those are signs that you might want to start cutting back, Varela adds. 

It can also be helpful to reflect on how you feel once you close the apps, he says. If you notice you’re comparing your appearance or life to someone else’s, feeling like you’re missing out on something, or you’re just generally in a worse mood than when you opened social media, it’s time to think about reducing your time spent on social media. 

Why is it so hard to cut back on scrolling? 

Many of us know that excessive social media use isn’t good for us, but have a hard time taking steps to limit our time spent scrolling. That’s because apps like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are designed to be addictive, explains Jay Varela, LPC

Social media platforms are constantly updating their features and algorithms in an effort to get you to stay on them longer. They’re designed to provide a sense of instant gratification and a hit of the feel-good hormone dopamine, both of which keep you coming back to the app because you want to feel that again, he says. 

But just because social media is addictive doesn’t mean it’s impossible to set some healthy boundaries with your favorite apps. Here, we’ve listed 6 therapist-approved ways to limit your social media use. 

6 ways to set healthy boundaries with social media

1. Schedule windows of time for scrolling

Rather than mindlessly opening Instagram whenever you have a free moment, Varela recommends scheduling set times to use social media throughout the day. If you’re used to spending about four hours on social media every day you can still do that—but start blocking that time out on your calendar in smaller chunks. 

Set a timer on your phone to let you know when your scrolling window is up. That way you don’t get sucked in and let hours pass by without realizing it. This will help give you a sense of control over your social media use and encourage you to get in the habit of monitoring how much time you’re spending on the apps each day, he explains. 

2. Reduce your social media use gradually, rather than quitting cold turkey

While some people might be able to delete all of their social media apps one day and never look back, that’s not a realistic strategy for most people. If you enjoy using social media, you don’t have to cut it out of your life completely or even drastically cut back. Instead, Varela suggests reducing the time you spend on apps gradually. 

The idea here is that we often want what we can’t have. By telling yourself that social media is totally off limits, you’ll probably just want to use it more. Plus, you’ll be more likely to feel guilt and shame if you redownload the apps, says Varela. 

A better strategy is to start with whatever your average screen time is, and slowly reduce your time spent on social media down to an amount of time you feel more comfortable with. 

3. Turn off your social media app notifications

Turning off notifications for your social media apps is another way to take control of your time, says Varela. Notifications are designed to pop up and suck you back into scrolling, and they often do just that. 

By turning off your notifications, you’re taking away the automatic cue to start scrolling. That way, you can be more intentional about when you open the apps rather than being at the mercy of messages popping up throughout the day. 

4. Commit to not going on social media first thing in the morning or right before bed

If you like to scroll in the morning or the evening you can still do that, but make sure it’s not the very first or very last thing you do in the day. Setting this boundary will make you less likely to get sucked in and spend more time than you’d like scrolling, says Varela. 

He recommends having a few tasks that you do each morning before you look at your phone. It could be as simple as starting the coffee machine, making your bed, or walking your dog. This will make it feel like you’ve already started the day, so scrolling on social media probably won’t feel as tempting. You can also schedule in some scroll time once you’ve done those tasks if you like to spend some time on the apps in the morning—just make sure to set a time limit. 

At night, try to spend the 30 minutes before bed doing something relaxing like reading, stretching, or doing breathing exercises. Having a set wind down routine will protect against late night doomscrolling, Varela explains. 

5. Reflect on how you’d rather spend your time and act accordingly 

Thinking about how you’d rather spend some of the time you usually spend scrolling is a great motivator for setting healthy boundaries with social media—and sticking to them. Varela suggests reflecting on your screen time and whether there are more fulfilling activities you’d prefer to be spending those hours doing. 

Maybe you’ve been meaning to get back into painting, or you wish you could spend more time outside during the day. When you’re tempted to take a scroll break throughout the day, consider replacing it with one of those actions. Chances are you’ll feel better afterwards. After all, can you think of many times where you’ve wished you skipped something so you could spend more time scrolling? 

6. Consider working with a therapist 

Sometimes when we want to change a behavior, we need some professional help. If you’ve been wanting to limit your social media use for a while but find it difficult to set boundaries and maintain them, Varela recommends reaching out to a therapist. 

A therapist should be able to help you uncover why you’re finding it so difficult to spend less time on social media, and suggest additional strategies to help you cut back. They can also hold you accountable, which can make kicking deeply ingrained habits feel a little easier.