My Toxic Relationship With TikTok

TikTok and I? We’ve got a problem. A big one. On any given week, I’m trapped in a never-ending loop of TikTok—20 hours of my free time swallowed by that infernal app. Bored? TikTok. Waiting in line? TikTok. Lying in bed? You guessed it—TikTok. It’s like I’m in a Bad Romance with Tiktok, and, let’s be honest, it’s time for a breakup. 

I can’t even count the number of times I’ve picked up my phone to check the time, only to find myself diving headfirst into my For You Page. I’ll put my phone down and—surprise, surprise—I never actually saw what time it was. 

So, this week, I decided it was time to seperate. But I didn’t want to cheat myself and delete the app outright. No, I wanted to test my willpower. I left TikTok right where it was on my phone, with notifications pinging away, and challenged myself to resist its siren call of the doom-scroll. 

Just to paint a picture of my previous week : I spent 42 hours and 42 minutes on my phone. Yep, that’s practically a full-time job, with a daily average of 6 hours and 6 minutes. And on my worst day? 5 hours and 36 minutes on TikTok alone (straight up embarrassing). 

During my detox week, I cut my TikTok time to just 7 hours total. If that’s not a win, I don’t know what is. It’s like I’ve finally taken control of my life and told TikTok, “We need to talk. I need some space.” 

Now, just like any toxic breakup, the first few days were the hardest. I swore I’d go no contact with TikTok, or else I’d be lured back into his sweet-talking trap. Monday through Thursday, I did remarkably well—just a few minutes here and there—which I only fell into because my friends were showing me what he was up to without me.

But then came Friday night. Out with friends, a few too many drinks later, and what happens? I end up in bed, scrolling through TikTok for three hours, lost in a nostalgic spiral.  

I was right back in the throes of my digital bad romance. Saturday wasn’t much better. After going out with my girl friends and sipping on more cocktails, I found myself back in the clutches of my old flame. It’s just like when you’ve had a few too many and decide to text your ex—you know it’s a bad idea, but there you are. 

As Hari puts it in Stolen Focus, “Our attention has been commodified, and it is being used to control us.” And boy, did I feel that sentiment every time I felt TikTok sweetly calling my name.

But after this week, I’m ready to kiss him goodbye.