How to stop scrolling on your phone? Readers share their experiences

Meduza readers shared personal experiences and tips on how they have overcome the habit of constantly reaching for their phones. Among the responses are surprising, useful, and sometimes contradictory pieces of advice.

Reducing social media scrolling and endless phone use is a real challenge for many people. In May, the independent journalist cooperative Bereg published a list of scientifically-backed recommendations for tackling this habit. Meduza then decided to ask its own readers what has helped them.

Readers sent in plenty of responses, with surprising, useful, and amusing tips that sometimes even contradicted each other. Among the solutions mentioned are major life events such as the birth of a child, smaller consumer decisions like buying a smartwatch, and even psychological tricks where people try to motivate themselves through challenges.

Different methods work for different people: some have found help in setting app usage limits on their smartphones, while others simply left their phone in another room. A third group has discovered that taking up a new hobby-whether crafts, sport, or reading books-fills the void that would otherwise be occupied by endless scrolling.

According to experts, excessive phone use is deeply connected to the dopamine system: each new post or notification provides a small hit of pleasure that compels users to turn back to the screen again and again. This is why there is no simple universal solution; success requires finding an approach that works for you personally and being consistent with it.