Sept. 30, 2025

14: Breaking the Social Media Spell – How to Stop Scrolling and Take Back Your Time

Show Notes
Transcript

Do you ever catch yourself endlessly scrolling, even when you know it’s not making you happy? In this episode of Tiny Daily Kick, Jason Stephenson breaks down the psychology behind the social media spell — why it hooks us, why it’s not your fault, and how you can break free.

You’ll learn how platforms are designed to keep you glued, the hidden costs of constant checking, and two simple practices to regain control of your attention. Jason shares how to shift from compulsive scrolling to conscious living, so you can use technology without being used by it.

If you’re ready to stop overthinking, reclaim your focus, and take back your time, this episode will show you the first step toward freedom.

Thank you to my supporters:

Send us a text

Support the show

Join our "Awaken with Jason" Facebook page.

For our Guided Sleep Meditations, see our Youtube channel

Thank you to my supporters and believers - sincerely, it means the world!

Chris Hart, Barb Smith, VaDonna, Paula, Rebecca, Jackie, Synthi Silverman, Kelly Blunt, Julie Oconnell

WEBVTT

00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:12.560
Hello, I'm Jason Stevenson and welcome to your Tiny Daily Kick.

00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:15.519
Look, let me start with a little bit of a confession here.

00:00:15.679 --> 00:00:20.239
I've lost more time than I would like to admit on social media.

00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:27.679
Videos of cats falling off tables, people injuring themselves, people in fights and arguments.

00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:32.479
I open my phone for just a minute, and suddenly, what happens?

00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:34.399
20 minutes are gone.

00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:39.359
So today's kick is important, and it's been inspired by a follower, Ruth.

00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:40.719
Thank you very much, Ruth.

00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:43.759
So today's kick is break the spell.

00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:48.719
Social media is designed to pull us in, to suck us in.

00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:54.240
Every swipe, every new post, every flashing or dinging notification.

00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:57.280
It's actually all built on psychology.

00:00:57.520 --> 00:01:00.719
The maybe the next one will be interesting loop.

00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:08.239
It's the same mechanism that keeps gamblers at the poker machines, and this has been scientifically proven.

00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:17.040
I'm currently reading a book called The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Hayde, that's spelled H A I D T.

00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:41.280
And sadly, they now have statistics to prove that during the years of 2010 to 2015, this is when the smartphones were beginning to come into full swing, the young people growing up with these, especially those in their teens, suffered more anxiety, depression, and addiction than ever before.

00:01:41.680 --> 00:01:51.760
And the awful part is, during those years, their brains have been rewired and they're going through all sorts of hormonal problems, right?

00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:59.040
Apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and even gaming, it disrupts these natural patterns.

00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:07.680
I worry about the long-term effects for many that are growing up with social media from a very young age.

00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:11.919
And here's the thing, and this is an important thing that we must remember.

00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:16.639
It's not that we're weak, it's that the system is strong.

00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:22.560
Social media giants pay scientists and designers to capture our attention.

00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:28.080
So if you feel hooked, you're not failing, you're actually human.

00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:36.639
I remember when I was going to get a meditation app built, and the developers were talking about this thing called gamification.

00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:41.599
Literally, what we can do to keep people coming back.

00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:46.960
And this felt very odd for me in some ways.

00:02:47.360 --> 00:03:02.960
Sure, it's great to have people meditating, but the whole idea of luring people back in through the system, through a psychological aspect, this didn't feel in alignment with me, and it still doesn't to this day.

00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:21.840
If you think of Pavlov's famous dog experiment, the bell would ring, uh, the dog would begin to salivate, and even if no food appeared, and social media works the same way on us a little red notification dot, a vibration or a swipe sound, that becomes our bell.

00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:23.199
And here's the kicker.

00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:33.039
Every time we check, our brains give us this little small hit of dopamine, that feel-good chemical that keeps us coming back for more.

00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:40.719
That's why it feels automatic, because it is its conditioning and it's not weakness.

00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:48.560
And when you see it this way, you can let go of the guilt because it isn't your fault.

00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:53.120
It's psychology doing its job a little too well.

00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:59.840
But here's the cost, every scroll down that rabbit hole is just time that we don't get back.

00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:08.879
Time that could be spent reading, resting, connecting with a friend, getting out there playing, or even just letting the mind dream and wander.

00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:12.960
And it's not about quitting social media altogether.

00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:15.599
Yeah, it's it has some amazing sides.

00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:20.720
After all, it gives us that connection, the laughter, sometimes the inspiration.

00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:25.199
But it's about reclaiming our choice.

00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:30.160
I think of it like food, and maybe social media is the dessert.

00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:37.439
A little slice of that cake can be joyful, but a diet of nothing but cake, right?

00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:44.319
That leaves you heavy and tired, foggy, and hungry, starving for something real to eat.

00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:54.639
So the trick is it's not to beat yourself up, and I think Ruth said so wisely in her post, she said, because guilt just adds another layer of negativity.

00:04:54.800 --> 00:05:04.800
Instead, the trick is to just gently step back, put yourself in charge again and say, I choose this, not the algorithm.

00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:11.439
Here's a simple practice, and I've only just started this, and so far this is working.

00:05:11.759 --> 00:05:13.519
It switches on the awareness.

00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:15.680
I call this set a doorway.

00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:21.839
Now, a doorway is a simple boundary you place before you enter social media.

00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:27.680
It's one small action that asks, do I really want this right now?

00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:36.480
So for example, before opening up an app, take three breaths and ask yourself, what am I hoping to get from this scroll?

00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:39.199
Maybe it's connection, maybe it's escape.

00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:43.519
But if you decide that you truly want to go in, then go in.

00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:52.560
But if you realize that you've picked up this phone out of habit, maybe that's time to choose something else.

00:05:52.879 --> 00:05:57.759
That pause, that doorway breaks the spell.

00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:03.279
It stops the unconscious swipe and replaces it with a conscious choice.

00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:12.160
You might even include in that doorway just before you go and even pick it up, while you're thinking about things, just have one glass of water.

00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:14.000
Just one glass.

00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:17.519
Then while you're having that water, do I really need this now?

00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:20.240
No, I don't know what I'm doing this for.

00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:21.120
Then don't do it.

00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:22.480
Put it back in your pocket.

00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:26.319
See, over time the these doorways, they're going to add up.

00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:36.720
You spend less time caught in the maybe which wedding dress I should choose loops and more time on things that fill you up that are important for you.

00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:40.800
You don't have to delete your apps or go cold turkey.

00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:44.079
I've done this before, but it doesn't kind of work.

00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:49.759
You go back to it and but you just learn to walk through that doorway.

00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:56.959
And only when you want to, not when the algorithm dings, whistles, or beeps for you.

00:06:57.279 --> 00:07:00.399
So just one simple path, set a doorway.

00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:03.680
Breathe, ask yourself, do I want this?

00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:04.800
Do I need this?

00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:05.600
That's all.

00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:09.680
One small step can change the way you relate to your time.

00:07:10.160 --> 00:07:14.399
And you might be surprised at how powerful that pause becomes.

00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:21.519
Over time it gives you back hours, hours to use on things that really matter for you.

00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:35.439
If you have a suggestion to put forward for Tiny Daily Kick, please reach out to me at support at awakenwithjason.com, and I'd love to see your suggestions and maybe I can include one of yours in my next podcast.

00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:42.399
If you've been enjoying these tiny daily kicks, don't forget to follow and share the podcast so others can join us too.

00:07:42.639 --> 00:07:45.279
Until next time, I'm Jason Stevenson.

00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:48.879
Imagine boldly, then go out and live it.

14: Breaking the Social Media Spell – How to Stop Scrolling and Take Back Your Time

Listen On

Support On

Recent Episodes