I Quit YouTube Shorts, Reels, and TikTok for 30 Days: The Miraculous Changes in My Brain

Lying in bed before going to sleep, I pick up my smartphone. The moment I open the YouTube app thinking, 'I'll just watch for 5 minutes,' and tap the 'Shorts' tab at the bottom, time magically disappears. When I snap back to reality, it's somehow 2 AM. My eyes are dry, and I can't even remember what I just watched for the past hour.

We've all had this experience at least once, right? I was the same. On the subway commuting to work, in the restroom, and even while eating, my thumb was mechanically swiping up the screen. One day, I was deeply shocked to find myself reaching for my smartphone, unable to read a single page of a book completely. I realized that my brain was turning into a 'popcorn brain' (a brain that only responds to large, intense stimuli, like popcorn popping).

So, I made a decision. For just 30 days, I would completely quit short-form content like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. Let me share my raw experience, from deleting the apps and overcoming withdrawal symptoms to the changes that came a month later.

Week 1: Withdrawal Symptoms and the 'Phantom Thumb'

The beginning was surprisingly simple. I deleted the TikTok app, only checked Instagram on my PC, and paused my watch history in the YouTube app settings, leaving the home screen blank. But the real fight started after that.

The first 3 to 4 days felt like going crazy. Especially when I lay on the couch after work or went to the restroom, it was incredibly hard to endure that short 'void.' I caught myself mindlessly making the swiping up motion in the air with my thumb (I called this the 'phantom thumb') without even realizing it.

I could feel my brain screaming for intense, fast dopamine. The anxiety of missing out on something fun (FOMO) was also severe. I tried to read long-text news or watch slow-paced documentaries instead, but because the screen didn't change every 10 seconds, it was too boring to focus.

Week 2: Discovering New Ways to Fill the Void

As I crossed the one-week mark, things started to change slightly. I realized that rather than just unconditionally enduring it, I needed to fill that 'empty time' with other high-quality stimuli.

During my commute, I started listening to audiobooks or podcasts instead of watching short-form videos. Closing my eyes and focusing on the sound actually reduced the eye fatigue from staring at a monitor all day. When going to the restroom, I made a rule to leave my smartphone on my desk. At first, it was so boring that I found myself counting the patterns on the bricks, but later, those 3 to 5 minutes became the only time in the day when my brain could 'breathe' and zone out.

The most surprising part was the weekends. In the morning hours that I would usually blow away watching short-form videos in bed, I now had the leisure to go out to a local cafe to read a book or catch up on chores. I wondered if the day had always been this long.

Weeks 3 & 4: A Clear Mind, Like the Fog Had Lifted

As I entered the third week, the urge to watch short-form videos almost entirely disappeared. And above all, noticeable changes began to appear in my daily life and work performance.

The biggest change was the 'duration of my attention span.' In the past, if I got even slightly stuck while working, I would reflexively look at my smartphone. Now, I can push past that hurdle, sit down patiently, and immerse myself in one task for 1 to 2 hours. I can also read thick books in one long breath without stopping in the middle.

Another thing is 'emotional stability.' The short-form algorithm relentlessly pours out content that makes your emotions jump all over the place, such as extreme humor, rage-inducing clips, and provocative news. Cutting this out significantly reduced my mood swings, and I was able to fall asleep much faster and deeper at night. It felt like the murky fog that had always been stuck in my head had cleared up, leaving things sharp and vivid.

Wrapping Up the 30-Day Detox

Now that 30 days have passed, have I gone back to short-form videos? No. Honestly, I never want to go back to that 'mindless scrolling' of the past.

Of course, short-form itself is not absolute evil. There is a lot of useful information, and it can bring joy in a short amount of time. The problem is that we lose control and grind away our time exactly as the algorithm spoon-feeds us, without even realizing that our brain circuits are being rewired.

Even right now, do you find yourself wanting to swipe the screen to find another short, stimulating video before finishing this article? If so, try deleting your short-form apps tonight, just for one day before you sleep. Your thumb might feel a bit bored at first, but you'll experience the miracle of having your lost time and focus filled back into that empty space.