I’ve broken down how the teachings from early Buddhist scriptures can help us free ourselves from social media addiction. These teachings come from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which outlines five ways to manage intrusive thoughts and urges.
I call this “the Social Media Sutra” because it applies directly to our modern lives. Let’s talk about the fifth and final tool, which might surprise you—it’s sheer willpower.
The Buddha advises using strong determination when other methods fail. The idea is to mentally push yourself past your cravings. While it may sound harsh, sometimes strict measures are necessary. But remember, willpower should be a last resort.
There are better, less forceful ways to deal with urges. One clever method is to make decisions when you’re not caught up in the craving. For instance, deleting your social media apps from your phone makes it harder to access them. You could use parental control settings to block these sites entirely, or browser plugins to limit your time on them. For those willing to go further, deleting your accounts can be a powerful step.
I did this myself with Instagram and Facebook. I found that they often caused me more frustration than joy, so deleting them was a relief. Research shows quitting social media can make us happier, but addiction often convinces us otherwise.
I still used Twitter but found it time-consuming and often filled with negativity. To combat this, I used a final willpower trick: changing my password to something I couldn’t remember and logging out, creating a barrier that made it hard to get back in. This simple step kept me away from Twitter and positively impacted my well-being.
In summary, we’ve explored five tools from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta to help us overcome obsessive thoughts and urges. Using these teachings can help us live more mindfully and joyfully, free from the grip of social media addiction. Thank you for joining me on this journey of applying Dharma to modern life challenges. May we all continue to progress in living with mindfulness, compassion, and joy.