In a series of six posts, I discuss how teachings from early Buddhist scriptures can help us break free from our social media addiction. These teachings are found in the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which outlines five strategies for overcoming persistent, distracting thoughts and the urges that come with them.
The Vitakkasanthana Sutta translates to “the Discourse on Quieting Thinking,” but I refer to it as “the Social Media Sutra” because it’s a simpler, catchier name and it highlights its relevance to modern life.
The fifth and final technique might catch you off guard: it involves sheer willpower. The Buddha suggests that when all else fails, we should use intense determination—like clenching our teeth and pressing our tongue against the roof of our mouth—to forcefully push away bad thoughts. While this method seems harsh and violent, it’s meant to be a last resort.
It’s important to only use willpower when other methods don’t work. For example, sometimes late at night, I find myself endlessly surfing the web—reading useful articles but sacrificing sleep. Occasionally, I get fed up with this behavior and shut my laptop with a sense of disgust, breaking the cycle of compulsive browsing. However, this isn’t truly willpower; it’s more of a sudden shift in mindset.
There are more effective and subtle ways to curb these urges by employing willpower when you’re not actively caught in craving. For instance, deleting social media apps from your phone makes them harder to access. You could also use parental safety settings to block these sites entirely. Browser plugins can limit the time you spend on social media, or you could delete your accounts altogether—a very drastic but effective measure.
I did this with my Instagram account because the need for validation made me unhappy. Similarly, I deleted my Facebook account due to negative experiences and privacy concerns. Research suggests quitting social media makes us happier, but addiction and self-deception often prevent us from making that choice.
My final trick for quitting social media—specifically Twitter—involves creating barriers. By locking myself out of my account via a complex password, I made it cumbersome to log back in. This extra step was enough to keep me away from Twitter for months, thus improving my well-being.
In summary, we’ve explored five tools from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta to help free our minds from obsessive thinking and compulsive urges. Thank you for joining me in this series on using the Dharma to overcome social media addiction. I appreciate the opportunity to explore and share these teachings, with gratitude to Tricycle magazine for prompting these articles.
May we all progress in overcoming obstacles that hinder our mindfulness, compassion, and joy.