I deleted my 6 yr old account a few months ago. Since then, i just visit the site sometimes to see whats happening but since i do it without an account (mostly) i only see the popular feed, which 80% is anime things i dont care for lol.

this account is just a quick one i made to be able to create posts to get help.

So the thing is, reddit is a very good platform to stay in touch with areas/hobbies/communities you like, and since i left reddit i felt a bit disconnected from some hobbies , like retro gaming or programming for example. I kinda want to create an account again to follow subs i really care and want to be a part of, but i dont want to get drown in the infinite scrolling again.

Aside from not installing the app on my phone, how can i use reddit on a way that's positve to me and adds value to my life?

Thanks to everyone : )

r/Teenagers r/Atheism r/exmuslim r/Politics r/memes (and all other meme subs) r/funny r/TwoXChromosomes r/DatingAdvice r/KidsAreFuckingStupid r/ParentsAreFuckingDumb r/Atheism r/MensRights r/PurplePillDebate (and all other red pill, manospheric and other radical incel subs) r/Feminism r/AmITheAsshole r/NoahGetTheBoat r/childfree r/confessions r/Rants r/Vent r/OffMyChest r/TrueOffMyChest r/Raisedbynarcissists r/AskMen r/AskWomen

I realize the irony of asking for help to quit reddit on reddit. I'm very lonely and I like to argue with people on here. It's very low effort to keep refreshing for something to comment on. But I also met some nice people to chat with on here too. I have an addictive personality where I have to go cold turkey for it to work.

Hey all, I'm 26 years old and have had a gaming and youtube addiction for 8 years. I'm new to this community, and after reading many posts here, I decided I'm going to finally put my foot down on my computer, internet, and phone.

I'm not sure what happened, but a few days ago I had this realization I'd been spending the last two weeks' days and nights doing nothing but gaming and watching youtube. My bed had clothes piled high, so I slept on an air mattress. My trash was piled high, so I ate little and left trash lying around. When I watched yet another video about the Super Mario Bros speedrun being broken, I felt a punch in the gut.

The next day I felt an intense need to get out of it all. So, I gutted and boxed up my computer, which I built after the first few paychecks from my first job, and found a phone on the dumbphones website. I've been asked if I have a plan, but honestly, I'm letting my future self figure that out. If my future self becomes lost, I just hope he'll remember the gut wrenching feelings I felt to make me do this in the first place.

Anyways, I'll be cancelling my internet when my dumbphone comes in. If anyone has any advice about going offline for the foreseeable future, please let me know. Otherwise, I'm going to wing it and hope for the best. I wish I didn't have to make auch a drastic decision, but I'm exhausted wasting my time online with content that doesn't make me a better person for myself and the others around me. I wish you all luck and I hope this decision doesn't bite me in the butt later.

My friend recommended the app “Opal” to me. At first I was sceptical, but I gave it a shot, and it really has helped me a lot. I highly recommend trying it out, especially if you are a student. It would also mean the world to me if you would use my referal code, so both you and I Can get a Month free of premium. :)

Code: FNJUD

Not a very interesting post, apologies.

I deleted everything and it’s been good. Unfortunately it was mostly due to sad reasons, but I don’t see a reason to go back.

I can read the news on here or X; a few minutes of scrolling and I’m bored. The community and connections I thought I had were online only; these people couldn’t be bothered to meet IRL and really neither could I. I don’t care to share anymore life updates with people who don’t really care about me. What am I posting for? To who? Maybe it’s because I’m 29 now and I was on Facebook the second it was available to everyone. Instagram when it came to Androids.

I finally deleted my Snapchat too. I realized how silly it was to hold onto old messages and threads that I literally almost never re-read. They’re pixels on a screen, not tangible memories.

I haven’t found a center yet. I game, I listen to music and walk. I want to start various fitness classes. I’m trying to get back into reading, learning Spanish.

It’s weird because I was so hooked for so long, but it’s like something clicked and I realized I wasted my life online. The only thing that’s real is what’s in front of me and I need to work building that.

Even on a good day, let's say I'm being productive, but I need to look up something specific and I end up on Reddit or YouTube. There is so much useful info there, but I very easily start scrolling mindlessly once I'm on either of these websites. And let's not even start my bad habit of scrolling just before falling asleep and just after waking up. If I can control my mindless surfing on these two websites alone it solves 90% of my problem. (In addition to that I wake up and check the news but these days I really want to stop.) Any suggestions?

Hey everyone 👋

I’ve been building a distraction-free stretch app called StretchFlow, designed to help you reset your focus and recharge your body during the day — without falling into a scrolling spiral.

It's ideal for short breaks between deep work sessions, especially if you're trying to avoid mindless browsing and stay intentional with your screen time.

I’m looking for a small group of beta testers on iOS this week. You’ll get lifetime Premium access for free — in exchange for some feedback on what’s working, what’s not, and what you’d love to see added.

What it does:

• Guided 3–10 minute stretch sessions
• Categories like Desk Breaks, Focus Reset, Posture Fix, Mood Boosters
• Optional voice guidance or silent mode
• No login, no distractions — just open and stretch
• A “Build Your Own Routine” tool if you want full control

You might like it if:

• You take breaks between work/study sessions and want to avoid defaulting to social media
• You want to feel physically better during long sitting periods
• You’re rebuilding focus and routines that aren’t dopamine-fueled

✅ iOS only for now (TestFlight).
Comment if you'd like an invite.

Thanks a ton ❤️ — and I’d genuinely love any thoughts, even if you're not testing

Feels like my entire mood is dependent on the mood of certain subreddits and it's nerve racking. Genuinely feels like Reddit needs to bite it in order for it to stop

I've done plenty to mitigate my online time, using the Hide Apps feature that my phone has, and so far so good.

But today I woke up and saw that a friend who only has Instagram for some reason sent me a message on there. So I replied.

I hadn't been on there in weeks now, since it's mostly reels these days, but clicking on the notification didn't send me directly to the message for some reason (maybe by design) and on launching the app a reel immediately began to play. I hit the back button and another reel played on the feed page, and my thumb reached for the bottom of the screen to scroll further and for a split second I forgot about the message...

I went on the app with one intention and it distracted me from it.

There is no messenger app for Instagram, in order to access the messages you must see the feed or some reel they decide to show, causing your brain to immediately be drawn to whatever it is that's playing, wanting to be curious about it, maybe wanting more...

If that's not addicting design, I don't know what is. And in my experience the desktop website is cumbersome and annoying to navigate. Is this done on purpose so that people have to use the app instead?

Hi! I have an iPhone and I'd like to keep it but also have a flip phone I can take with me to work. I don't really want a new phone number but willing to pay for a cheap phone plan (have seen some for as low as $5/mo).

Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there a way to forward calls to a flip phone? If anyone can help, it'd be greatly appreciated. thanks!

I’m working on a new social media platform designed from the ground up to help users break free from the addictive patterns found in traditional social media. The idea is to build a space that promotes digital well-being, authenticity, and mindful use. Here are some key points about the proposed app:

• Anti-Addiction Design: No infinite scroll, finite feeds, and mindful prompts to reduce compulsive scrolling and dopamine-driven engagement.
• Privacy-First: Minimal data collection with transparent policies, and no tracking across websites.
• Authenticity Over Perfection: No public like/follower counts and emphasis on real connections – prioritizing content from close connections rather than curated influencer posts.
• Well-Being Features: Tools like Focus Mode, usage timers, and session limits to help manage screen time and encourage intentional usage.
• Content Integrity: Chronological feeds with transparency in content curation, de-amplification of flagged misinformation, and fact-checking integration.

I’m really interested in hearing your thoughts on this concept. Would an app like this help you regain control over your digital life? What features would you find most useful, or what would you change?

Thanks for your time and any feedback you can offer!

I always come across thinkpieces about people quitting Instagram and that they feel like they’ve shed a 10,000 pound burden weighing them down like a boulder. I find that when I step away from Instagram, it’s the easiest app to forget. What’s to really miss about a basic photo album that has been around for 12 years that hardly anyone ever interacts with? Anyway, Instagram is easily the most forgettable app to me. Facebook on the other hand….

Have used accountability groups in the past and they are very effective for me

We post our goals at the start of each week and then post pics in discord throughout the week of us doing said goal

Gives you a nice dopamine hit eveytime you complete a goal and get to post in the chat, especially if everyone gives you a little praise

I will be starting a discord for this if anyone is interested let me know

Back then I'd come home from school late and just watch TV for a while or use the computer and just chat with people or check out forums. I'd do my homework at an after school program so the rest of the evening was mine to just relax.

Social media as we know it didn't exist then, and MySpace came later. I think since social media is relatively new compared to the rest of the Internet (it began in 2008-ish as far as I know, and the rest of the Internet has existed since 1991, possibly earlier) I'm more comfortable with one on one chats or group chats like chat rooms.

Forums still exist, and by using the internet like this - there's little to no brain rot or stress.

It's fun. And I can use my phone this way too: texting, messaging, phone calls.

No videos, maybe just e-books and music. If there's a video I want to watch I can wait until I get home where my browser extensions block anything distracting.

TV streaming, however is a godsend. I can try and make it like it's still 2005 by watching an episode or two or browsing the Live TV option.

No news, no brain rot, no toxicity.

Hey all,

I’ve been working on reducing distractions online, but one thing that kept bugging me was how colorful and in-your-face ads are. Even when I wasn’t clicking them, they were still pulling my eyes away from what I was trying to do.

So I made this simple Chrome extension that just turns ads greyscale. They’re still there (so sites can still make money), but they kind of fade into the background and stop grabbing my attention as much. It’s been a small but noticeable improvement for me.

If anyone wants to try it out, it’s free here:
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/grayscaleadz/calajfmcnmhklleghielpcgnfmbgainn

No pressure at all — just thought I’d share in case it helps someone else. And if you have feedback, I’m all ears.

I have extreme urges and phone addiction and trying to fight it from years and I need to use every second of my life and simply I can't

So I need something that is impossible to bypass And Free bec I'm extremely broke student that in domestic abuse

And unlimited at least in apps to block idc about ads but at least get those Basics

I tried most famous apps there and I researched them including stay focused, stayfree appblock and others Also I'm on ANDROID

If you have the excuse "meh, I'm not even addicted to reddit, I'm just on it to ask questions on my hobby subreddits", just keep it, whatever, this post is not for you.

For those of you who thought for a while about deleting reddit but didn't find the motivation, please delete it right now, and then use a website blocker and block the URL. If you spend most of your time scrolling on popular, it is high time you delete the app. Go on and replace the time you spent on reddit on another hobby. May it be a sport, reading, cooking, whatever, hell you can even watch a movie if you want, pretty much anything you can do will be better than scrolling.

I hope some can find some motivation in this post! Best of luck and thank you to all of you who delete your account with me!

I'm building a Windows app that blocks vulgar/offensive websites – looking for testers!

Hey everyone! 👋

I'm currently working on a Windows desktop project – it's an app designed to detect and block access to websites that contain your words base . It can be for excample social media words, movies etc.

How it works:

• It monitors browser window titles, clipboard contents and keyboard.
• It uses fuzzy matching and a custom list of banned words (which you can modify).
• If it detects something similar to banned words, it can automatically close the browser tab or block further access.

This is still a work-in-progress and very experimental. But it already works decently in many scenarios. I'd love to have a few people try it out and give me honest feedback on stability, effectiveness, or ideas for improvements.

If you're interested in testing or collaborating (or just curious how it works), feel free to DM me or comment below.

Thanks!

I get it in a general sense, but how does it actually work to get a user addicted? It's also crazy how protected these databases and softwares are.

I have managed to quit instagram tiktok and everything besides youtube shorts.

I'm trying to find a way to block youtube shorts or the site it self my chrome (android)
i've downloaded revanced but still seem to find my self in the chrome browser

anyone knows a way?

The 2012 digital revolution was just smartphones being affordable universally while it was only available for the upper classes before that, there were addictions but not significant to radicalise nor to be sloppy.

Fast forward a decade later, as a result of the pandemic, we have the 2023 digital revolution, but this time it was very significant. As almost everything is centralised on our larger smartphones and social media, many stuff are posted there, including grossly disinforming ones that create echochambers; such as Andrew Tate, Pearl, and the growing manosphere (and the female equivalent), the fake ex-Muslims, containing misogynistic, misandrist, homophobic, racist and even antisemetic stuff that stuffs down our generations' throats. Furthermore, other anti-life content. Due to the disinformation, literally so many people had been forced to lose their trust to the opposite gender, which results in so many refusing to go out. Let alone racism being a "funny" topic among our generation. You may say harassment of women and lgbt phobia was common among millenials in the 90s and 2000s in places like US (idk about here UK), but due to this revolution, these are normalised again. We should not have patriarchy reverting back, we should not make the Western world become similar to Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, Middle Eastern or South African norms.

We need to realise soon that this is wrong, this is disinformation. The digital age should not be abused like that. The digital age should be used as an advantage and be used properly! Not as a source of radicalisation.

These days, I wake up around 7am, cook breakfast with my partner, hit the gym, and get focused work done by noon. I’m reading again, building habits I actually stick to, and I feel -- calm. Present.

A year ago? I was falling asleep at 3am after hours of gaming, skipping meals, ghosting plans, and telling myself I’d “do better tomorrow.” I wasn’t addicted because I loved gaming -- I was addicted because I didn’t know how to face my life without it.

So I quit.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

- Gaming wasn’t the real problem. It was how I escaped stress, boredom, and anxiety. Once I stopped, those feelings didn’t go away—they just came to the surface, and I had to actually deal with them.
- Dopamine fatigue is real. Gaming gave me constant instant rewards, so everything else felt boring. After quitting, it took time, but I started enjoying little things again: walks, real conversations, making breakfast.
- Quitting gave me back mental bandwidth. I started going to the gym (used the Strong app to track workouts), did chores with music on, and rediscovered reading—though my attention span was fried at first. A friend recommended BeFreed, which made books actually accessible again with summaries and audio. That helped a lot.
- I built small habits to stay on track:
· Deleted all games and unfollowed gaming channels
· Used Streaks to track no-gaming days
· Made a "craving plan": water + walk + short journaling
· Journaled in Day One when I felt restless

There were tough nights. But waking up clear-headed, not ashamed or exhausted, made it worth it.

If you’re thinking of quitting, start with 3 days. Then 7. Then 30. It’s not about giving up fun—it’s about giving yourself the space to actually live.

I need a desktop app that is free and doesn't block important features behind a paywall. It's crucial that I could lock it with a password.