By Layan Ghanayem
Karina Al Deek sat cross-legged in her chair, her phone resting in one hand as her thumb moved quickly across the screen. Her short, curly brown hair streaked with blonde highlights framed her face as her eyes stayed fixed on the notifications lighting up her phone.
Across from her, Ammar Othman leaned back in his chair, his phone placed face down on the table between them. Tall, with neatly styled light brown hair, he spoke calmly and maintained steady eye contact.
The contrast between them was immediate: one is constantly drawn back into the digital world, while the other remains fully present.
“I tell myself I’ll just check one thing,” Al Deek said. “But then I can’t stop.”
For Othman, stopping became the only option. “I was constantly distracted,” Othman said. “I couldn’t focus on anything for more than a few minutes.”
While Al Deek remains caught in a cycle of scrolling, Othman made the decision to step away entirely. For the past six months, he lived without social media. Their experiences reveal how deeply social media can shape daily life, attention and mental well-being.
Recent research from the American Psychological Association shows that frequent social media use is associated with higher levels of anxiety, reduced attention span and disrupted sleep patterns, particularly among young adults.
For Al Deek, those effects are visible. As a university student, she struggles with procrastination because she loses track of time while scrolling. “It affects everything,” Al Deek said. “I sit down to study, but I end up scrolling instead. Then I feel stressed because I wasted time.”
Her days are usually divided between short bursts of productivity and long periods of distraction. Even when she is not on her phone, her attention feels pulled back toward it. “I feel like I am missing something if I don’t check my phone,” Al Deek said.
Dr. Melissa Hunt, a psychologist who studies digital behavior, explains that social media platforms are intentionally designed to keep users engaged. She describes them as reward systems similar to gambling.
This helps explain why users like Al Deek struggle to disconnect. That fear of missing out reinforces the cycle, making social media feel necessary rather than optional.
This creates a sense of restlessness. Tasks feel harder to complete, and time feels like it moves quickly without meaningful results.
Just months before quitting social media, Othman described feeling the same way. “I would open my phone without even thinking,” Othman said. “It was a bad habit.”
As academic pressure increased, that habit began to affect his performance. Studying became difficult, and even simple tasks required more effort. “I felt like my brain was always distracted,” he said.
That was when Othman decided to delete all his social media accounts for six months. At first, the absence felt uncomfortable. “You don’t realize how much you rely on it until it’s gone,” Othman said. “I kept reaching for my phone.”
But unlike Al Deek, whose routine remains shaped by constant notifications, Othman began to experience a shift. “I slowly started to feel calmer,” Othman said. “My mind wasn’t as crowded.”
His days became more structured. He studied for longer periods without interruption and completed tasks more efficiently. Conversations with friends felt more present, and time no longer slipped away.
Research supports this contrast. A 2018 study by psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania, published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, found that reducing social media use can significantly reduce feelings of loneliness and depression while improving overall well-being.
For Othman, stepping away created space for new habits. He replaced scrolling with activities that required sustained attention such as reading, exercising and socializing. Over time, these changes improved both his academic performance and his overall sense of control.
“I actually started enjoying studying again,” Othman said. “That never used to happen.”
The difference between the two experiences is also reflected in how they feel. Al Deek faces constant stress, distraction and pressure. Othman feels calm, happy and relaxed.
“I’m not thinking about how things look online,” Othman said. “I am just living.”
Al Deek, on the other hand, is still trying to find that balance. “I know it’s affecting me,” she said. “I just don’t know how to stop.”
Her uncertainty reflects a challenge faced by many users who recognize the impact of social media but struggle to change their habits.
As social media continues to shape daily life, the question is no longer whether people use it, but how much control they have over it. For users like Al Deek and Othman, that difference shapes not only how they spend their time, but how they experience it.
