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Do you need a break from social media, but aren’t sure how to really make that happen? Well friend, you are in luck. We’ve broken down the importance of deactivating your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and/or TikTok. We’ve also provided a step-by-step guide for deactivating each account. If stepping away from your socials seems daunting, don’t worry we’ve got you covered.

 

DEACTIVATING YOUR INSTAGRAM

Sometimes we all need a break from the gram right? In fact, studies show that a social media detox is actually very beneficial. Mental Health advocate Larissa May spoke to Forbes regarding social media detoxing, “We can often feel so much pressure to present ourselves on social media as “successful” – in our careers or otherwise – when the reality is actually different or we’re only telling part of the story. And both only sharing part of who we are and only seeing a curated version of others’ lives can put a strain on our mental health. “On one hand social media is the reason why I’ve met so many people and built amazing professional relationships,” May says. “But on the other hand, it’s contributing to an increased rate of depression and anxiety.”

“We can often feel so much pressure to present ourselves on social media as “successful” – Larissa May

This in fact shows you that taking a break from social media can be hard but rewarding for those who do it. If you have been thinking to yourself, “Do I have a social media problem?” They’re signs that can show that you might have a social media addiction

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What are some signs you might need to deactivate your social media?

  • Caring too much about likes and follows
  • Visiting social media platforms for more than two hours a day
  • You cannot disconnect from social media when you have company around
  • Your opinion is based on what the internet tells you…ALL THE TIME
  • Not getting enough likes changes your mood
  • You HAVE to take a picture of your food every.single.time.

Now, if the shoe fits you might need a break. For Instagram, many people have had a hard time scrolling through the setting trying to figure out how to deactivate their accounts. We got you covered!

 

How to Deactivate Instagram

  1. Click on the Instagram app on your phone.
  2. After you are on the app, click your profile picture in the top right and click Profile, then click Edit Profile.
  3. Scroll down, then click “Temporarily disable my account” in the bottom right.
  4. Select an option from the drop-down menu next to “Why are you disabling your account?” and it will ask you to re-enter your password. The option to disable your account will only appear after you’ve selected a reason from the menu and entered your password.
  5. Last but not least, click “Temporarily Disable Account.”

Then BOOM! put your phone down and begin your detox.

 

Instagram Replacements

This sounds like we’re on a diet and trying to find out what is a good replacement for fried foods. Similar to that scenario it can better your mental health and maybe even your physician if you use your time wisely. Here are some ideas you can do instead of scrolling through the gram.

  1. Wake up and build a habit of not reaching for your phone.
  2. Learn something new about yourself.
  3. Improve your mental and physical health
  4. Clean your home space and reorganize things.
  5. Try to make the first step in making a difference in the world.
  6. Think of some side hustles to make some more money.
  7. Build better relationships with the people that matter in your life.
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DEACTIVATING YOUR FACEBOOK

So you’re curious about getting rid of your Facebook page? Unplugging or taking a break from the social platform can actually be a really good thing for your mental health.

According to Mentalhelp.net, Facebook can bring on many mental health issues such as depression brought on from Cyberbullying, life comparisons, envy and more. Facebook has also been shown to be addictive to many driving people to emotional rollercoasters seek “likes” and “views” or social popularity. On the opposite spectrum Facebook can have many benefits, such as providing support from friends or family for people struggling with difficult situations and more.

Facebook offers two ways to step away from your social account.

  1. A temporary deactivation or disabling the account
  2. A permanent deletion of the account.

Below, we give the step-by-step process on how to do both so you can make the right decision for yourself worry free.

 

Facebook Deactivation:

So you’re wondering what exactly what happens when you deactivate your Facebook account? A lot of people choose this over deletion because it gives you the choice to come back at any time. However, your friends will not be able to see your timeline or search for you on the platform. Some information might be available to your friends such as messages. This is a great option if you want to take a mental break, handle a life issue, go on vacation, or simply unplug because you can. Here’s how to deactivate your account.

RELATED: QAnon Banned Across The Board From Using Facebook & Instagram

From the desktop version

  1. Click the upside-down triangle at the top right of Facebook
  2. Click ‘settings & privacy’
  3. Click ‘settings’
  4. Click ‘your Facebook information’
  5. Click ‘deactivation and deletion’
  6. Click ‘continue to account deactivation’ then follow the last few instructions/questions to complete the deactivation.

 

From a mobile version/app

  1. Click the three set of lines in the bottom right corner of the mobile version
  2. Click ‘settings & privacy’
  3. Click ‘settings’
  4. Click ‘account ownership and control’
  5. Click ‘deactivate account’ then follow the last few instructions/questions to complete the deactivation.

One thing about deactivation is that your friends and family can still chat with you via messenger, so if you want to completely unplug sign out or delete that app until you’re ready to come back to the social platform.

So, you’ve had enough of your break? Reactivating your account is super easy, probably too easy if your “addicted” to the platform. Just simply log back in! Hopefully you remember your password, if you don’t, you’ll need the email or mobile number connected to your account to regain access.

 

Facebook Deletion:  

This is a much more permanent decision to make but Facebook has a couple of things in place in case you change your mind. Unlike deactivating, you cannot regain access to your account after you go through the deletion process. However, after you request a deletion, Facebook takes 30 days to complete the process of deleting. During these 30 days, you have the ability to cancel your deletion request in case you change your mind.

Something else to keep in mind; if you choose deletion, all of your photos, videos, post etc will be deleted. Once the account is gone you will not have access to any of your memories/post. Your friends/family will no longer be able to see your page or information. A Facebook deletion is exactly what it sounds like. Here’s how to delete your account.

From the desktop version

  1. Click the upside-down triangle at the top right of Facebook
  2. Click ‘settings & privacy’
  3. Click ‘settings’
  4. Click ‘your Facebook information’
  5. Click ‘deactivation and deletion’
  6. Click ‘continue to account deletion’ then follow the last few instructions/questions to complete the deactivation.

From a mobile version/app

  1. Click the three set of lines in the bottom right corner of the mobile version
  2. Click ‘settings & privacy’
  3. Click ‘settings’
  4. Click ‘account ownership and control’
  5. Click ‘delete account’ then follow the last few instructions/questions to complete the deactivation.

How to cancel your Facebook Deletion

  1. Log back into your Facebook account within the 30 days
  2. Click ‘cancel deletion’

 

DEACTIVATING YOUR TWITTER

 Twitter is one of the most addictive social media platforms in the world. It’s designed to keep you scrolling for hours and most of its users stay glued to their cell phones like it’s attached to their forearm. According to a report by digitalmarketing.org, People, on average swipe, type, click or tap their phone screens 2,617 times each day. The number rises to 5,427 when it comes to highly active social users.

Taking a break from the platform can seem like a daunting task, but breathe easy. We are here to walk you through the process of why you should deactivate your account and how to do it. Don’t worry; your world will not stop without twitter. Before we get into the why and how, take the time to mentally prepare yourself to be without social media. FOMO is real, and if you are used to always being in tune with hashtags and trending topics, you will have to make a mental adjustment. Remind yourself often during your break that live will go on without reading tweets.

 

Twitter Is a Complete Waste Of Time.

DigitalMarketing.org says people in the United spend 2 hours and 3 minutes on social media each day. Deactivating your twitter can free up time for you to be productive in other, more important areas of your life. Take those two hours to work on hobbies, or your business.

 

Twitter Owns Your Privacy

Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook make huge profits every year from your personal info and behavior patterns. The only real way to keep them from your data is to deactivate your account entirely. There are ways you can clamp down on what and how much of your information twitter can use, but to completely stop the flow, shut it down.

 

Twitter Can Cause Insomnia

In a study by the Journal of Medical Internet Research, researchers studied the tweet patterns of users and found that users who tweeted more, were merely likely to express “not being able to sleep,” in their tweets, as well as associated with insomniacs more often. On the other hand the users who tweeted less, expressed tweets of having a “good night sleep,” or feeling well rested. Users who are less active on social media tend to have better sleep patterns, compared to highly active users. Put the phones away and you will start to enjoy a more full and rested night’s sleep.

Click here to read the whole study.

 

Twitter Fools With Your Self-Esteem

Likes, retweets, follows and comments have all become a type of currency on twitter. We’ve been conditioned to give them actual value in how we see ourselves. The more followers or retweets you get, the more important of a person you are. That is completely inaccurate. Breaking away from twitter and speeding more time around friends and family or the people you love, will help you realize what should be valued in life, and what should only be entertainment.

 

Have a plan for your social media break.

Create a structure and a plan for yourself before you take your break from twitter. How long will your beak be? What will you do to fill in your time? Ask and answer these questions to give yourself the best chance to be productive during your break. An idle mind is the devil’s playground; so fill up your time!

Ok, take another deep breathe because it’s time to deactivate and here’s how:

  1. Click on Settings and privacy from the drop-down menu under your profile
  2. From the Account tab, click on Deactivate your account at the bottom of the page.
  3. Readthe account deactivation information, then click Deactivate @username.
  4. Enter your passwordwhen prompted and confirm that you want to proceed by clicking the Deactivate account

Things twitter wants you to know before you deactivate:

  • You do not need to deactivate your account to change your username or email address; you can change it at any time in your account settings.
  • To use a username or email address on another account, you must first change them and then confirm the change prior to deactivation.  See the below section on how to make your username or email address available for re-use before deactivating your account.
  • We do not control content indexed by search engines like Google or Bing.
  • When deactivated, your Twitter account, including your display name, username, and public profile, will no longer be viewable on twitter.com, Twitter for iOS, and Twitter for Android.
  • For up to 30 days after deactivation it is still possible to restore your Twitter account if it was accidentally or wrongfully deactivated.

The only person who can tell you if you need some time away from the screen is YOU. But, if you do decide to deactivate your twitter, remember it isn’t forever and twitter isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Think about your mental health and figure our if a break is right for you.

Bookmark this page and you can always refer to it before your breaks. GOOK LUCK!

REALTED: Damning Article Accuses TikTok of Censoring Black Users & “Digital Blackface” 

 

DEACTIVATING YOUR TIKTOK

“Tik Tok, Tik Tok” used to be a way to tell someone they are taking way too long and need to hurry up! But, now a days we know TikTok as a fun way to sing, dance, cook and even get life advice! TikTok was created in 2016 but you may have just got hip to it during the 2020 quarantine.

 

Founder, Zhang Yiming, named the app TikTok as an onomatopoeia for the sound of a ticking clock and represents the short format of the videos. Its mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy as the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Recently there was a lot of drama surrounding this app, so other companies like Instagram, have had an eye on the TikTok format and the global attention it is getting. In August 2020 Instagram introduced its new feature REELS, calling it “a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on Instagram.” Many creators have started to upload their videos from TikTok onto Instagram Reels, so everything is all in one place.

No matter the reason why you may want to minimize your apps and delete TikTok, take a look at what the company is doing in efforts to educate, support and uplift folks during these uncertain times. TikTok has partnered with several local and global organizations to provide resources for our communities, promote healthy conversation and bring people come together virtually all over the world. More details on all of theses efforts can be found here.

Now, if you have concluded that you still do not need TikTok anymore below are the steps to delete your account.

  • Step 1: Open TikTok on your phone or tablet by clicking the app icon.
  • Step 2: Tap the “Me” icon
  • Step 3: Tap the three-dot menu •••
  • Step 4: Tap Manage My Account
  • Step 5: Scroll down and tap Delete Account
  • Step 6: Tap the red Delete Account button
  • Step 7: Tap Delete to confirm.

Depending on how you set up your account, there may be few extra steps. If you created your TikTok account with your Twitter or Facebook account, you’ll have to tap Verify and Continue to sign in to that service before the delete confirmation page will appear. You may also be prompted to verify your phone number and enter a confirmation code to continue.

Please remember that if you go through this process and delete your account, you will lose access to all your TikTok content. Also purchased items in the app are not eligible for a refund. Once you delete it’s final and your content will be officially removed from TikTok’s servers.

Maybe you have decided to keep this app but want to up the security. Here are the steps to turn on your 2-step verification, which adds an extra layer of security, to your account in case your password is compromised.

  • Step 1: Check that you have the latest version of TikTok downloaded
  • Step 2: Tap “Me”
  • Step 3: Select settings by tapping the three-dot menu •••
  • Step 4: Tap ‘Security’
  • Step 5: Change “2-step verification” from “off” to “on”
  • Step 6: Choose either the SMS* or E-mail option for the verification code to be sent

RELATED: Black Women Are Killing My Newest TikTok Obsession, The #WipeItDownChallenge 

Social media is a wonderful tool to connect with family, friends, or folks you haven’t seen in a while, but there should always be a limit. Know when you need a break and don’t be hesitant to take one. Your social accounts can be unhealthy if not used responsibly. Remember, your mental health is way more important and a couple likes.

Words by: Nia Nolle, Bilal Morris, BreAnna Holmes, Wissiam Omar

Deactivating Your Social Accounts Could Save Your Life  was originally published on kysdc.com