Tired of mindless scrolling? Try mindful social instead.

Canadians love social media. According to Data Reportal, as of January 2025, Canada is home to 31.7 million social media user identities (that’s 79.4% of the total population).

And young people seem to love it most. Toronto Metropolitan University’s Social Media Lab conducted a survey on trends in social media adoption. According to the findings, Canadians aged 18 to 24 lead usage on five of the nine major platforms (94% on YouTube, 91% on Instagram and 65% on TikTok).

There is growing concern about social media and mental health, especially for youth. How can we find balance and be more mindful in how we are using social media?

Very real impacts

On average, Canadians spend approximately one hour and 53 minutes on social media every day. While social media can be positive in many ways (connections with friends/family, community, new interests, creativity), the “scroll” has affected people’s productivity, their sleep and how they feel about themselves and others.

Made in CA highlights some of the negative impacts of social media on Canadians’ lives:

• 19% have lost sleep
• 22% have been less physically active
• 18% have a harder time concentrating on tasks
• 12 – 14% have had negative emotional experiences (feeling depressed, anxious, angry or jealous)

And it’s worse for young people. Forty-seven per cent of Canadians aged 15 – 19 have lost sleep because of social media. And 24 to 36% of the same age group say they have trouble focusing on tasks and activities.

Becoming more mindful

It’s not realistic to completely remove social media from our lives. But it is critical to find balance and think about where we’re putting our attention, energy and focus. Dr. Amori Mikami, a psychology professor at University of British Columbia, has done extensive research into social media and well-being. She believes that, “For many young people, it’s not about logging off. It’s about leaning in — in the right way.”

When we become more mindful about our own social media use, we can model better behaviours for the kids in our lives. We can also use examples from our own experiences to illustrate new and healthier ways to engage with social media.

Here are some tips to help you become more mindful about your social media use:

• Set limits or dedicated time for social: instead of popping open Instagram or Facebook when you’re bored or waiting in line at the grocery store, set specific times during the day when you engage with your feed. And when you are on social media, give yourself a time limit. Maybe set aside 20 minutes in the morning over coffee to catch up on the latest news, celebrity stories, influencer updates and what your friends are up to. When you model these healthy boundaries yourself, it becomes much easier to establish and enforce similar limits with the kids in your life.
• Take breaks: many people take their social apps off their phones for days or even weeks. It’s become so easy to fill empty time with mindless scrolling. But without the apps at our fingertips, we avoid the distraction and make space for other things like reading, exercise, walks, appreciating nature or conversations with a stranger.
• Check in with yourself regularly: when you spend time on social media, gauge how you feel when you’re done. Does what you’re consuming make you feel good and energized? Do you feel like you learned something or got inspired? Or do you feel drained, edgy, annoyed or triggered? Engage with what makes you feel good and avoid what doesn’t.
• Think critically: social media serves up highly curated content (especially influencers). It’s not real life. And even “regular” people only post the highlight reels of their lives. Evaluating what you are seeing (this is especially important for kids and youth who often struggle with social comparison) can help to counter negative feelings of inadequacy or jealousy.
• Clean up your feed: do you notice yourself consistently feeling depleted after consuming certain types of content or following certain people? Get rid of them! Social media is meant to be fun, informative and inspiring. If you have content or people dragging you down, mute or unfollow them. The FOMO (fear of missing out) won’t last, and you’ll be better off in the long run.
• Engage intentionally: instead of passively scrolling and consuming, engage in meaningful ways. Comment on content you care about (make sure it is a safe online space and you express yourself respectfully) or send a DM (direct message) to make a real connection. These actions foster the real sense of community at the heart of social media.

Mindful social media use begins with small, everyday choices. Simple habits including setting time limits, taking breaks, unfollowing accounts that don’t make you feel good and talking openly about what you see online can help you develop a healthier relationship with social media. It’s not about rules and restrictions. It's about finding balance, setting boundaries and being more aware. When we shift from mindless scrolling to mindful use, we make room for the stuff that really matters – online and off.