Scrolling through Instagram or TikTok can feel effortless, even automatic. What begins as a quick check often stretches into half an hour before users realise how much time has passed. Increasingly, however, that flow is being interrupted by an unexpected voice — creators urging viewers to stop scrolling altogether.
One such voice belongs to Olivia Yokubonis, known online as Olivia Unplugged. Her videos appear mid-feed, delivered in a calm tone and often grounded in behavioural research. Instead of flashy visuals, she offers gentle reminders: you may not remember the last video you watched, or the one before that. For many viewers, the message lands as a quiet nudge rather than a reprimand.
Yokubonis creates content aimed at reducing mindless social media use, and reactions are mixed. Some viewers appreciate the interruption, calling it a wake-up call. Others question the irony of promoting reduced screen time on the very platforms she critiques.
“I get comments saying it’s ironic that I’m posting,” she has said. “But where else am I supposed to find people? That’s where they are.” Her point reflects a wider contradiction at the heart of anti-doomscrolling content — to reach people, creators must exist within the same digital spaces they’re questioning.
Her approach resonates with research. Ofir Turel, a professor of information systems management at the University of Melbourne, has studied social media usage for years. He notes that many people underestimate how much time they spend on apps, and when confronted with real data, often feel shocked. In some cases, simply seeing their screen time prompts people to reduce usage without further intervention.
Yokubonis is part of a broader group of creators addressing digital overuse in different ways. Some are blunt, others subtle. Some occasionally address the issue, while others build their entire platform around it. What they share is an attempt to disrupt passive consumption, even if only briefly.
Ian A. Anderson, a postdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology, finds the trend intriguing but questions its effectiveness. He notes that heavy scrollers may not fully register the message if they are already disengaged. Still, he believes the approach has potential as a form of “intervention from the inside”.
The conversation also ties into a wider debate: is social media addiction real? While many people describe themselves as addicted, researchers remain divided. Anderson’s research suggests people often overestimate their level of dependency. In one study, a significant number of users believed they were addicted, but only a small percentage met clinical criteria.
That perception, Anderson warns, can backfire. Believing oneself to be addicted may reduce confidence in managing usage and increase feelings of guilt, making behaviour harder to change.
For those looking to cut back, experts recommend small adjustments: moving apps off the home screen, turning off notifications, or keeping phones out of bedrooms. These subtle changes can make compulsive checking less automatic.
Creators like Cat Goetze, known online as CatGPT, take a similar approach. While she discusses artificial intelligence and tech culture, she also explores why platforms are designed to keep users hooked. Her work emphasises that excessive screen time is not simply a failure of willpower, but the result of intentional design.
“Entire teams are working to keep people engaged,” she has said. “It’s not something you can just will yourself out of.”
Goetze’s work, including her offline-focused product ventures, reflects a growing appetite for balance rather than complete digital rejection. And that may be the key shift taking place — not abandoning social media, but becoming more aware of how it shapes attention.
As anti-doomscrolling creators continue to appear in feeds, their message remains simple: pause, notice, and decide whether to keep scrolling. Even a brief interruption, they suggest, can be enough to change habits — or at least make people think twice.
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