5 ways to scale back on social media

EMMA LEMBKE JOINED INSTAgram when she was 12. The last of her friend group to sign up, she had sensed the appeal of the app in the gazes of friends; people who used to look at her now looked at their phones. "I thought to myself, There has to be something incredibly magnetic and magical and connective that pulls people into these apps," recalls Lembke, who's now 21 and founder of a nonprofit dedicated to helping kids use social media in a healthier way.

- ANGELA HAUPT

She soon began spending five or six hours a day mindlessly scrolling and says her mental health and well-being deteriorated. Lembke recalls quantifying her worth by tracking likes, comments, and followers, and taking down posts that didn't perform well enough. "It felt as though I was honestly addicted," she says. "When I heard the buzz of a notification, I had that instant Pavlovian response to grab my phone. I finally asked, What am I doing?"

Many of us get lost in social media. Some data indicate that worldwide, the average adult spends more than 2.5 hours per day immersed in social apps. All that scrolling can take a toll: excessive social media use is linked with loneliness, depressive symptoms, poor self-esteem, and decreased life satisfaction. "A lot of times we're not even aware of how we're using it," says Jacqueline Nesi, a psychologist who studies social media's role in adolescents' mental health, "so taking the time to be a little more mindful and to think about what's working, and what's not, is really important."