How Can I Control My Social Media Viewing Habits? - Christian Publishing House Blog

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A Christian Young Person’s Guide to Mastering Digital Discipline and Guarding the Heart

Social media is everywhere. It’s how we connect, express ourselves, stay updated, and even entertain our boredom. Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and whatever app comes next dominate the lives of many young people today. They’re not just tools; they’re part of everyday life. And yet, behind every scroll, like, and post is a deeper question that demands an honest answer: Who is controlling whom? Are you in control of your social media habits—or are they controlling you?

For the Christian youth seeking to follow Christ in a digital age, the battle with social media is not about deleting every app or rejecting all technology. It’s about control. It’s about stewardship. It’s about guarding your heart, protecting your mind, and making sure that your devices serve you, not enslave you.

In this article, we’ll walk through how to take back control of your social media viewing habits with biblical insight, practical help, and God-honoring purpose.

Why Social Media Is So Powerful

Before you can control social media, you must understand why it’s so addictive. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are not designed to help you grow. They are designed to keep you scrolling. They trigger dopamine—the pleasure chemical in your brain—with endless content, flashy visuals, and fast feedback (likes, shares, comments). They also feed your flesh: vanity, envy, comparison, lust, anger, and pride.

Proverbs 25:28 says, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Social media weakens your walls of self-control when you let it consume your time, distract your mind, or dominate your heart.

God created you with a purpose—eternity in your heart and the ability to glorify Him in everything. But social media is powerful because it fights that purpose. It convinces you to live for likes instead of for the Lord. It replaces long, thoughtful reflection with shallow content. It numbs your hunger for God’s Word with never-ending videos.

Step 1: Recognize the Impact on Your Heart

The first step in breaking social media control is honest self-examination. Ask yourself:

Do I reach for my phone first in the morning and last before bed?
Do I feel anxious or irritable when I can’t check my notifications?
Do I waste hours watching content with no benefit to my soul?
Do I compare myself to others online and feel less because of it?
Do I stumble into temptation, especially sexualized content, while scrolling?

Be honest. God sees your habits already. Psalm 139:1-2 says, “You have searched me, LORD, and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar.”

Conviction is not condemnation—it’s an invitation to change. If you feel convicted, don’t push it aside. Let the Holy Spirit show you the real impact social media is having on your life.

Step 2: Set Clear Boundaries—Don’t Wait for Addiction to Settle In

Social media is not evil in itself. But like any tool, it must be mastered or it will master you. Proverbs 4:23 warns, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

If you want to stay spiritually strong, mentally focused, and emotionally healthy, you must set boundaries:

Time boundaries: Set a timer. Don’t scroll endlessly. Use screen time controls or accountability apps to monitor usage.

Content boundaries: Unfollow accounts that lead you to sin, comparison, or discouragement. If an account causes you to stumble in your thoughts, your emotions, or your purity, get rid of it. Jesus said if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out (Matthew 5:29). That’s not about mutilation—it’s about decisive action.

Place boundaries: Don’t use social media during devotion time, church, or while doing homework. Protect spaces where your mind should be focused on growth and real life.

You were not made for digital slavery. You were made to reflect the image of God—and He is a God of order, peace, and discipline.

Step 3: Replace Scrolling with Spiritual Strengthening

If you’re going to cut back on social media, you need to fill the gap with something better. Nature hates a vacuum—and so does your heart. If you just “try to stop” but don’t replace that habit, you’ll eventually fall back in.

Use the time you free up for:

Scripture reading: Psalm 1 describes the blessed man as one who meditates on God’s law “day and night.” Social media feeds your flesh. God’s Word feeds your spirit.
Prayer and journaling: Talk to God. Write out your thoughts. Bring Him your struggles.
Books that feed your soul: Instead of shallow entertainment, try reading Christian biographies, devotionals, or biblical teaching that strengthens your faith.
Service to others: Volunteer. Encourage someone. Call a friend. Real life is richer than digital life.

Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” That means intentionally shifting your focus. Social media constantly pulls your attention downward. God calls you to look upward.

Step 4: Choose What You Feed Your Eyes

Jesus said in Matthew 6:22-23, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” What you watch affects what you become. Social media platforms are filled with content that promotes perversion, rebellion, sarcasm, pride, selfishness, and outright mockery of God.

Don’t just watch whatever shows up. Be selective. Be protective.

That means unfollowing influencers who promote vanity, impurity, or false ideologies. It means walking away from viral trends that are rooted in darkness. It means turning off content that stirs up discontentment, envy, or anger.

What you consume today will either bless your soul or poison it tomorrow.

Step 5: Find Your Worth in Christ, Not in Clicks

Many young people base their self-worth on social media approval. If a post doesn’t get enough likes, they feel invisible. If someone unfollows them, they feel rejected. If their feed isn’t “aesthetic,” they feel unworthy.

This is a trap. Galatians 1:10 says, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?… If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

You are not defined by your follower count. You are not the sum of your comments, likes, or shares. You are a child of God, fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), bought with the blood of Jesus (1 Peter 1:18-19), and sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).

When you know your worth in Christ, you don’t need digital validation. You already have eternal affirmation.

Step 6: Take Breaks to Reset and Refocus

Sometimes the best way to regain control is to step away altogether. A social media fast—whether for a day, a week, or even a month—can be a powerful way to reset your mind and restore your focus.

Mark 6:31 shows Jesus taking His disciples to a quiet place to rest. You need space to breathe, think, and listen to God’s voice without distraction. Fasting from social media doesn’t mean you’re missing out—it means you’re making space for what matters most.

You may be surprised how peaceful life feels when you’re not constantly plugged in.

Final Thoughts: You Were Made for More Than Mindless Scrolling

Controlling your social media habits is not about legalism or fear—it’s about freedom. It’s about saying, “I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12). It’s about walking in the Spirit, not being enslaved to your screen.

You don’t need to throw your phone in the river or live off the grid. But you do need to live intentionally. You do need to ask: Is this drawing me closer to God or distracting me from Him?

So today, ask the Lord for wisdom. Ask Him for strength. Make a plan. Set a boundary. And take one step toward freedom.

Because you were made for truth, for light, for worship, and for purpose. Don’t waste your youth in endless digital noise.

Are you ready to reclaim your mind, your time, and your heart from the grip of social media? Let Christ lead—and let your screen time reflect your Savior.

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About the author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).