Wellbeing checkup: take back control of your social media time

What each setting does

• See how much time you spend. Facebook and Instagram show your average daily time over the last week, and TikTok’s is in its Screen time settings. Our tip: look before you set a limit, so the limit is realistic.
• Set a time limit reminder. A reminder when you reach the time you choose (on YouTube, a limit on the Shorts feed only). It’s a nudge, not a lock: on TikTok you can keep going by entering a passcode shown on screen.
• Get take-a-break reminders. A prompt to pause during long sessions.
• Wind down at night. Sleep mode, bedtime and sleep reminders mute notifications or prompt you to stop at the hours you choose.
• Reset or tune what you’re shown. Start your suggestions over, tell the app what you want more or less of, or (on Facebook) switch to Feeds, which shows the newest posts with no suggested posts. Resetting suggestions can’t be undone.
• See less upsetting content. On Instagram, see less content you may find upsetting from accounts you don’t follow. On TikTok, filter out keywords and hashtags you don’t want to see.
• Hide like counts. Stop seeing how many likes other people’s posts get, and hide the count on your own posts from others (you’ll still see your own totals).
• Limit unwanted comments and messages. Temporarily hide new comments and new chats from groups of people (such as recent followers or accounts that don’t follow you), without blocking anyone.
• Parents: manage a teen’s time. Supervision tools let a parent see and change a teen’s time settings, such as daily limits and sleep hours. On Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, supervision is set up together with the teen first; on YouTube, parents manage supervised accounts in Family Center or Family Link.

These are the apps’ own settings. We don’t give medical advice; if you’re worried about your wellbeing, talk to someone you trust or a health professional.

Wellbeing settings by app: 24 steps across 4 apps

Each checkmark links to the step in our guide. A dash means we haven’t covered that setting for the app yet, not that it doesn’t exist. The steps come from 12 of our guides.

Updated automatically when our guides change. You’re welcome to cite this table with a link to this page.

Every app’s steps

Questions about the wellbeing checkup

Will these settings stop me using the apps?

Mostly not. The daily limits, take-a-break and bedtime settings our guides cover are reminders, not locks: Facebook and Instagram remind you when you reach your limit, YouTube lets you dismiss its reminders, and TikTok lets you keep going by entering a passcode shown on screen. Parents who supervise a teen or child can choose stricter options on some apps, such as blocking the app during sleep hours or after the daily limit.

Does the checkup look at my accounts or screen time?

No. It never connects to any app. It only builds a checklist from the apps and goals you pick. Your ticks are saved only in your browser, and the apps and goals you pick appear in the page address so you can bookmark the list.

Is this medical or mental health advice?

No. The checkup explains the settings the apps themselves offer, with links to their official help pages. If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s wellbeing, talk to someone you trust or a health professional.

Why doesn’t every app have every goal?

We only list settings our guides explain from each app’s own help pages. A dash in the table means we haven’t covered that setting yet, not that the app doesn’t have it.

Can parents use this?

Yes. Pick “Parents: manage a teen’s time” to see the supervision tools for each app. On Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, supervision is set up together with the teen; on YouTube, parents manage supervised accounts in Family Center or Family Link.

Maintained by Michael Michael. See our editorial policy.