TikTok there’s no clock, time to detox
Social media addiction that is plaguing teens et all
Until a month ago, my teenage daughter, Sachika, lived with
strict screen-time restrictions to regulate her social media and entertainment
usage. However, ahead of her trip to Spain with friends, I lifted her social
media curfew. Whether due to willful ignorance or a parenting lapse on my part,
I forgot to reinstate those boundaries when she returned a few weeks ago. Last weekend,
I checked her phone usage and was jarred to find an average of eight-plus hours
a day of social media engagement, a staggering spike from her former maximum of
1.5 hours across all apps.
Though she turns eighteen next year, is her developing brain
truly equipped to disengage from these nefarious, hyper-addictive algorithms? She
traps herself in endless loops of short clips and nonstop doomscrolling.[1]
In the social media environment, constant screen scrolling
from one short video to another gives the same dopamine effect as scrolling
images on Vegas casino slot machines. The bells and whistles, the constantly
changing imagery, and the screen lighting up make you feel like all the sensory
pleasure centers in your brain lit up all at once. Moreover, there is no clock
to give you any sense of lost time. Hours into the wretched app, and one ends
up wasting the day away with absolutely nothing productive to show for all that
time lost. When the dopamine effect wears off, the crash happens and
realization hits. It leaves you in a state of pandemonium, where all you are
left with is confusion, chaos, and dismay. In this discordance, can you really
expect a teenager to regain composure? All they can associate the crash with is
the withdrawal from the app, making them crawl back to the zone of terror of
doomscrolling to feel the high again.
In her case, the only saving grace is her hectic schedule;
as a student-athlete, she spends hours playing and coaching tennis, and she
just launched a full-time summer internship that will keep her away from her
screen during the day.
News headlines in recent weeks
Also, recent headlines regarding Big Tech social media
companies reaching settlements after losing trials over the devastating impacts
of their platforms on young people have prompted me to reflect on this critical
issue.
“TikTok reaches settlement with Florida teen ahead of July social media addiction trial.
The case was part of litigation consolidating thousands of lawsuits alleging that several major social platforms used addictive designs that harmed young people’s mental health.”[2]
This case was brought by a teenage boy who rightfully
accused Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap of stealing his joyful teenage years.
These tech giants have intentionally engineered addictive platforms that
exploit and devastate vulnerable, developing teenage brains.
Campaigners welcome Meta and YouTube's defeat in landmark social media addiction trial[3]
In another landmark trial, a young woman named Kaley won a
historic $6 million verdict against Meta and Google for the addictive design of
their platforms. This entire judgment represents roughly one-tenth of Meta’s
daily advertising revenue alone. Compounding this injustice, reports from ITEP
reveal that Meta paid an effective federal income tax rate of just 3.5% in
2025—a measly amount compared to the 10% to 15% average middle-class household
withholding. [4]
Unsurprisingly, Meta and Google deny all liability and plan to appeal the
verdict, demonstrating a truly shocking lack of accountability.
Meta said: "Teen mental health is profoundly complex
and cannot be linked to a single app.”
Meta’s audacity is shocking, even if predictable. If the
complexities of a teenage brain are truly so difficult to fathom, how can Meta
justify rewiring those neurons into addictive patterns? They cannot shrug off
responsibility for keeping teenagers hooked on their app for hours without
limits.
Another article about a month old reads, “Meta settles major
social media addiction lawsuit with school district, Kentucky is one of about
1,200 school districts across the US that have each sued Meta, TikTok, Snap and
YouTube”[5]
Article after article points to a glaring systemic issue,
raising a critical question: why is this news becoming so commonplace? As the
parent of a teenager, I see firsthand the destructive impact of these addictive
apps.
Metrics don’t lie
The charted timeline clearly illustrates the upward trajectory of these tech giants since their inception. Driven by ever-increasing user engagement, these platforms now capture over four billion active users—representing nearly half of the global population.
Graphic timeline summarizing the launch dates, engagement
milestones, and current scale of major social media platforms.[6]
Benign to Malignant Engagement
We all remember when Meta, then Facebook, evolved from a
2004 college networking site into a simple, engaging social media platform. In
those early days, the simple thumbs-up 'Like' button served as the company's
hallmark feature. The shift began subtly when Mark Zuckerberg expanded that
button into a spectrum of multiple emotional reactions. It was a calculated
metamorphosis happening in plain sight, yet few noticed the implications. Based
on my reactions and searches, the algorithms began feeding me increasingly
divisive rhetoric. The more I indulged, the more the platform demanded my
attention, trapping me in a cycle fueled by my own psychological shortcomings.
Even when Facebook was intended primarily for adults, prolonged engagement felt
like swimming in deep waters without a life vest—doomed to drown unless one
fought to swim back ashore.
Today, this global tech conglomerate has weaponized those early lessons, spanning across social media, messaging, and artificial intelligence. Meta’s 'Family of Apps'—Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads—now reaches 3.98 billion monthly active users. Driven by massive profit margins and incessant greed, the company has repeatedly pivoted its engagement strategies to maximize user screen time. In this hyper-engineered landscape, teenagers have become the most unsuspecting and vulnerable targets.
Image: Ingrid wearing Haptic Gear in the Amazon Series Upload Season 3
Zuckerberg boasts of reaching milestone after milestone,
seemingly oblivious to the devastating social fractures his platforms have
caused through corporate negligence and greed.
Image: Zuckerberg seen brown-nosing our Orange Man at the White
House dinner in Fall 2025 AFP via Getty Images[7]
Termites of Corruption and Greed
Social media companies are like the doctors prescribing opioids
for relief. They are like drug dealers that hand the first drug for free in the
hopes of sustained repeat customers. They won’t agree to the harmful effects
and impact of what their drug does to the mental deterioration of a young
person’s brain. That is never really their concern, is it?
I’m a person who believes in “prevention better than cure” perception.
We hear propaganda networks parroting points about open borders and drug cartel
pumping schools with cocaine. The truth of the matter is that we have been
deceived and distracted away from the big picture, the reality that these big
techs especially social media companies have been left unchecked, and vastly dysregulated.
Especially when the termites of corruption have been slowly eating away at the foundations of our democracy, and our constitution. It is hard to understand what has happened to our elected officials. The congress and the senate is not effectively doing their job with corruption seeping through the veins of all governing branches. Forget about questioning these big techs that superficially started a decade ago, trying to hold them accountable, now these giants sit at the whole office fine dining and traveling alongside the President to international conferences.
Image: U.S. CEOs in China with Trump[8]
Bringing Resonance from Discordance
While this isn’t an easy quick and done fight to hold these
big techs responsible and regulate these apps to be safe for children. We must support
the Bernies, AOCs, Warners of our days who are questioning the oligarchy. We must
support leaders who are willing to listen to our actual concerns and not believe
in fabricated conspiracy theories that seldom impact on our daily lives.
Value what truly matters
What we can do is things that we can kind of control at a
microcosmic level within our households to bring somewhat of a balance to
counter the ill effects of social media addiction.
Nehru ji was a strong supporter of democracy who advocated deeply for freedom and education. Though a flawed man himself, he constantly reminded people to stay true to their personal values rather than worrying about external judgment.“What we really are matters more than what other people think of us.” Speeches by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India
Today, we often act based on how others perceive us instead
of staying true to our own nature, putting up a front in the hope of winning
approval and acceptance. In a modern world driven by clicks, likes, and online
validation, we have forgotten how to connect with what truly matters. We must
instead act compassionately, cultivate habits aligned with our true essence,
and embrace our social nature to engage meaningfully. Ultimately, we should
strive to be of service to our community, contributing in whatever ways we can,
no matter how small.
I especially love San Ramon’s community garden, which is an
incredible resource for part-time gardeners like me. For instance, they offer
free compost and mulch on a first-come, first-served basis, as well as garden
plots for just $250 a year. Beyond the garden itself, our local library
features a propagation swap station, and our neighborhood even has a plant
exchange stand run by local gardening enthusiasts. It is run by like-minded
folks who share cuttings and extra plants, offering a neat way to contribute to
the community, spread joy, and promote mindful planting.
True compassion enables us to break free from the
superficial expectations we create in our minds for the sake of temporary
online validation.
"We need to learn how to want what we have, not to have what we want, in order to get steady and stable happiness." - Dalai Lama's book, The Art of Happiness
If you ask Sachika, she will gladly say she wants what she
already has: limitless screen time. In reality, the Dalai Lama means that we
must find contentment in what naturally surrounds us. Unfortunately, our modern
obsession with external gratification, superficial accolades, and the
pseudo-social culture of social media has made us forget what truly matters.
This is the very reason I want to spend my time on things
that bring true value to my life. I love creating physical scrapbooks and photo
books, and I make it a priority to talk to my mom over the phone every day,
even though she lives thousands of miles away in India. I also enjoy listening
to deeply meaningful podcasts like Jay Shetty’s On Purpose and participating in
my BFF book club. Above all, I love spending quality time with my family and learning
new things, because I firmly believe that the human journey is a pursuit of
lifelong learning.
Bring the change atomically
Social media detoxing is no different than detoxes of any
kind. If you were to ask an addict, they would tell you that withdrawal
symptoms deceptively feel like far more devastating than giving in to the
addiction again. Your mind has been steeping in the Kool-Aid way too long that
it seems alien to take a break.
As prescribed by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits, “Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.”
Here is a system I have formed to successfully detox from
Social Media
Digital Detox & Morning Routine
- Charge devices outside: Plug your phone into an alternate outlet two hours before bedtime.
- Keep bedrooms tech-free: Remove all devices and nightstands from your immediate bedside area.
- Eliminate morning scrolling: Placing devices far away forces you out of bed immediately.
Reading & Reflection Space
- Create a dedicated nook: Set up a reading space right beside your bookshelf.
- Keep essentials nearby: Place a Kindle, a side stand, and a bin of office supplies (pens, post-its, tape) within arm's reach.
- Maintain a daily journal: Document philosophical reflections, book insights, podcast notes, and travel memories.
- Turn thoughts into action: Use these written quotes and insights to build actionable daily habits.
Spiritual & Gratitude Practice
- Distribute altars strategically: Place prayer altars in three different locations throughout your home.
- Anchor your day: Use these spaces to practice gratitude every morning and evening.
- Dedicate a meditation space: Position a meditation bench directly opposite one of your main altars.
Social media detoxing too is a process. Let’s rock on to Kesha’s
tunes[9]
and end with a fun digital detox song
Detox Song
Wake up in the morning feeling like I’m so pretty
Grab my sheets and pull it over to make my bed till it’s fitty
Before I leave I brush my teeth, no phone no tab
Cause Insta’s not riding me, I ain’t gonna slack nomore
I’m talking getting ready is so neat oh
Trying on all my clothes clothes
We are blowing up our phones phones
Drinking up my morning tea tea
My stomach having a party
Trying not to get tipsy
Hey stop, no phone, no tab, it’s time to detox
Today is bright and new and we see the sunlight
TikTok there’s no clock hence we need to detox
Oh woah woah oh oh woah woah oh
Hey stop, no phone, no tab, it’s time to meditate
Today’s gratitude is having a good attitude
TikTok there’s no clock hence we need to detox
Oh woah woah oh oh woah woah oh
Thank you and Namaste
Thank you so much for reading until the very end. Writing
this piece was incredibly meaningful, as this topic is deeply personal to me.
My husband, Shashi, often reminds me that we should channel our energy toward
what we can directly control and change. While I understand his perspective, I
truly believe that if we never reach beyond our comfort zones, we will never
see massive transformation. Big shifts start with small, deliberate choices. By
staying atomic and intentional, we truly can make it happen.
References
[2] https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/tiktok-reaches-settlement-social-media-addiction-trial-florida-teen-rcna352299
https://courthousenews.com/meta-and-google-hit-with-6-million-verdict-for-social-media-harms-to-young-woman/
[6]
Data derived from multiple statistical sources: https://www.statista.com/topics/751/facebook/?srsltid=AfmBOooud5dnvJ519HNXz4y9tqQSZIfACPcoGgicBJMKOvhjShiQJQ0-#topicOverview
https://metricool.com/twitter-engagement/
https://onclusive.com/resources/blog/x-twitter-statistics-2026/
https://www.globalmediainsight.com/blog/youtube-users-statistics/
https://www.statista.com/chart/28412/social-media-users-by-network-amo/
[7] https://www.theverge.com/policy/772760/tech-ceos-ai-trump-white-house-dinner
[8] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-china-trip-xi-jinping-us-ceos-business-interests/
[9] Lyrics
and music detox mix spoof inspired by Tick Tock by Kesha
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