I Gave Up TikTok for Lent

I gave up TikTok for Lent.

Initially when I learned about TikTok back in early 2020, my now-husband would share with me the highlights of what came across his For You Page. When the pandemic struck, I downloaded it myself because like everyone else, I was bored in the house, and in the house bored.

Eventually, I found myself watching more short-form content than I wanted, so I uninstalled the app from my phone for Lent in 2023. But I knew TikTok was not the only place to watch short-form video, and I didn’t want to commit to not watching anything short-form. So, I limited myself to just three in a row if I was watching Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. I joked it was my “quick hit” to keep me strong. Sometimes you just need to watch a little mesmerizing video of cake decorating to give your brain a mental break at lunchtime!

I don't know how much time I reclaimed by not going on TikTok, and I'm scared to go into my screen time settings to see how much it was prior to Lent. Without TikTok, I read more physical books and digital news articles. If I wanted to watch content, I would opt for something longer form. I know I definitely went to sleep earlier.

Now that Lent is over, and has been for a week and a half, I still have not re-installed TikTok. It’s just too easy for me to go and waste time staring at my phone. I think there are some incredible creators on TikTok. I was thinking back to some informative content that I miss, like the Tanner Leatherstein account which explores leather craftsmanship. But fortunately, there is a desktop version of the site, so now I can visit just the creators whose content I know is really valuable to me and engage with just what I want, then leave.

As a marketer, I know it can be an incredible way to grow an audience and distribute content. I don't think the platform is evil. I just know that there are other ways I want to spend my time that involve more attention span. (I'm still behind on my reading goal!)

On Easter, when Lent was over, I watched the curated collection that my husband collected for me over the last forty days. I was laughing so hard at some of these cream of the crop TikToks that I wasn't making any actual noise. Fortunately, since he is willing, we’ve gone back to our pre-pandemic model where I enjoy some dedicated, intentional TikTok time with just the best stuff. Everything in moderation.