Reddit’s modern forum has become a go-to website and app for thousands of people globally. Its infinite content is inviting to all, it’s no wonder many people are addicted to Reddit.
While overcoming a Reddit addiction can be difficult, it will free your life and allow you to live with better intentions. Learn how to quit Reddit and overcome your addiction with nine easy tips.
Why Is Reddit So Addictive?
Reddit is known as the front page of the internet. There’s a myriad of newsworthy posts, updated constantly, at your fingertips. The global scale and low barrier for entry to use Reddit means almost anyone can post—and read—on its forum.
Modern day society relishes instantaneous entertainment; Reddit provides this en-masse. The karma-earning initiative plays to the popularity of social media, but Reddit’s common use of anonymity differentiates it from its social media competitors like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
Reddit feels more mature and inclusive than other social media. Because much of its content is text-based, it also feels like you’re being productive by using Reddit over image-or-video-based competitors. But it’s equally easy to become addicted to Reddit due to the sheer amount of content available to create and access.
How to Spot a Reddit Addiction
As with any addiction, if you find yourself unable to go a full day, a few hours, or even 30 minutes without thinking about or opening Reddit, you’re probably addicted to it.
While an addiction to Reddit isn’t as harmful as substance use disorders, if you’re finding a lack of control in your Reddit usage, you should address it. There are some mindful ways to use Reddit and other social media, but there’s a fine line between standard use and becoming addicted to Reddit.
You might find yourself feeling anxious or depressed from an internet addiction, and scrolling endless Reddit posts can make that worse.
Reddit posts and stories may offer you the chance of escapism from your own problems. Like getting lost in a good book, it’s possible to get lost in Reddit posts to avoid reality. This might be a precursor to a Reddit addiction, and you should address why you’re avoiding your reality.
Tips to Quit Reddit
Quitting Reddit might be difficult if your addiction is strong, but you’ll gain freedom, clarity, and satisfaction by taking control.
Follow these tips to quit Reddit completely or reduce your overall usage of the platform.
1. Delete the Reddit App
You can access Reddit in many different ways, from the official Reddit app, to third-party apps, and the browser version. Deleting the Reddit app—whether official or third-party—is one of the best ways to quit Reddit.
Without the app at the tip of your fingers, you’ll need much more effort to access Reddit. Other methods are less satisfying to use, which will curb your usage.
2. Log Out From Reddit
Being logged into Reddit makes it more inviting to use: you’ve got your username, the ability to post, as well as your subscribed list of subreddits. Logging out means although you can still access Reddit, it will no longer be a personalized experience.
When logging out, be sure not to save your login details. To beat your Reddit addiction, you should make it as inconvenient as possible to log back in.
3. Delete Your Reddit Account
While Reddit is largely anonymous, Redditors can build up karma which offers a dopamine hit, even if your account is faceless.
Feeling popular and well-liked might aid your addiction to Reddit. Other users can be impressed by your karma amount or post history, and while it means nothing in reality, it could be enough to keep you using Reddit.
Deleting your Reddit account means you cannot build up a large karma and your post history is non-existent. You won’t feel the need to preserve—and use—your Reddit account if you have nothing to impress people with.
Deleting your account is permanent and requires making a new account re-join Reddit.
4. Stay Anonymous
Reddit is different to other social media because it’s largely anonymous. It isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, but most users do not share their real names or their faces.
By staying anonymous on Reddit, you’ll have less desire to impress. An anonymous person is far less impressive than a named person with their face on show. If you’re trying to beat a Reddit addiction, being anonymous means you can easily eject yourself from Reddit.
5. Use Other Platforms
You can do many things on Reddit, such as sharing artwork to art communities, finding jobs, sharing videos, joining book clubs—the options feel limitless, which is why it’s so easy to become addicted to Reddit’s infinite offerings.
Instead of using Reddit for these things, start using other intentional platforms for their purposes.
Joining an in-person or online book club away from Reddit might help you meet a new community and be more focused on the book topics without the distraction of Reddit.
If you’re looking for a new job, use LinkedIn, Indeed, or community websites to find jobs specific to your area. Attending in-person networking events for your career helps to get away from the screen, too.
If you use Reddit for videos, you can find videos of all topics with YouTube or Vimeo. To help curb your Reddit addiction, you can watch YouTube videos with friends.
Removing Reddit as the go-between allows more focused productivity in your real intentions. Even when opening Reddit to do a specific task, it’s easy to fall into the trap of scrolling, opening new subreddit tabs, and losing hours of time.
6. Write a Journal
Since Reddit’s primary mode of content is through writing or reading, switching from creating Reddit posts to writing a journal or online newsletter is a great alternative.
You could write on Substack or Medium if you want to share your writings publicly, but using a traditional journal is a healthy way to share your thoughts, if that’s all you use Reddit for.
A private journal replicates Reddit’s anonymity while encouraging you to be freer with your thoughts. Writing a journal is great for your mental health, and if you’re battling a Reddit addiction, you might be struggling with mental health problems.
7. Give Yourself Boundaries
Getting over a Reddit addiction doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Setting boundaries for yourself teaches you how to use Reddit in moderation without letting it overtake your life.
Only allowing yourself to open or use Reddit when at home, outside of work hours, or only on the weekends is a step in the right direction to curbing your addiction.
If you work in a relaxed environment or work from home, it’s easy to open Reddit to browse instead of putting your effort into your job. You need to be your own boss and set house rules for yourself and your Reddit usage.
Once you’ve decided your boundaries, tell other people. If you’re struggling with Reddit addiction, it can be easy to hide. Tell your partner, your housemates, or your co-workers to hold you accountable.
8. Tweak Your Reddit Notifications
Reddit notifications appear once you’re logged in. The gleaming red dot is enough to draw on your curiosity. Most Reddit notifications aren’t directly relevant to you, but rather encourage you to use Reddit, join subreddits, or stay engaged longer.
You can change your settings to stop receiving Reddit notifications for different things. Turning off Reddit notifications means that even when logged into Reddit, you’ll focus on intended subreddits and won’t be sucked into notifications encouraging further use.
9. Set Reddit App Limits on Your Device
Most phones and computer systems have app limits built in. You can set Screen Time limits on iPhone and on MacOS. Windows and Android users can set app timers too.
Most devices have these features built-in, but there are also external apps you can download to help curb screen time in general or for specific apps like Reddit. Doing this is a step to setting boundaries for yourself in your journey to quitting Reddit.
Don’t Let Reddit Take Over
Reddit can offer so much information, but it’s easy to become overwhelmed or addicted when you feel like there’s always more to see. With our tips, you can overcome your Reddit addiction or just take the first steps you need to quit Reddit.
Reddit lets you dive into anything, but reality outside of Reddit has so much to offer, so don’t let Reddit take over your life.