'I deleted Facebook a year ago and it's had one major impact on my life'

Go on, admit it – we've all boasted about our personal triumphs on at some point. Whether it's that marathon you smashed, the sobriety milestone you've reached or the massive party you enjoyed for a big birthday, a lot of us have shared snaps, clips or gushed over how "grateful, blessed or lucky" we are to achieve what we have. Sometimes it's endearing and other times, it makes us wince.

But now, I'm swallowing my pride to celebrate a personal victory involving Mark Zuckerberg's creation as I recently – April 15, to be exact – commemorated one year since I waved goodbye to my Facebook profile.

That's right, I was hooked on Facebook. Ever since I opened up my page while a final-year undergraduate in February 2007, I'd been logging on almost daily. It was an infuriatingly addictive pastime that stole precious moments with my family and friends, along with vital brainpower I could've used for more worthwhile activities.

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It seems I wasn't the only one Zucked in – I mean, sucked in – by Meta's allure either. According to Ofcom's Online Nation 2024 report, around 70% of adult Brits engaged with Facebook, and over the previous year. By May 2024, we were clocking up four hours online each day, with Meta platforms eating up 61 minutes and Alphabet services (think , Gmail and ) taking 63 minutes of our screen time.

Spending four hours a day glued to our screens is an alarming habit. It prompted me to reflect on the countless minutes spent scrolling through friends' activities, watching videos, catching up on news and commenting on posts.

My social media detox didn't quite pan out at first – I went offline in July 2015, but caved into peer pressure after just a month. Despite this, over the coming decade my disenchantment with Facebook grew, pushing me to take radical steps to reclaim my mental space.

Initially, it was about cutting down my excessive "friends" list, which included people I barely knew from one-off nights out as well as once-close mates who had become strangers. The purge of my social circle was overdue.

Then there was doomscrolling; that wretched routine every morning was dragging me down. But that wasn't all that was affecting my mood.

Facebook has handed everyone a soapbox for their views – factual or not. Suddenly everyone's got a take on , human rights and immigration. For me, a British Muslim, witnessing falsities about my faith spread like wildfire was particularly jarring. Heartbreakingly, these lies gained traction and they continue to mislead many.

The final straw for me was scandal and the Covid lockdowns. The thought that my personal data could be shared and exploited by third parties without my knowledge was deeply unsettling. Moreover, the flood of misinformation about vaccines, lockdowns and left me feeling nauseous.

Balancing a career in journalism, family obligations and other mental health issues (which I won't discuss here) was already stressful enough. Facebook (and Instagram, to boot) only added to this stress, leaving me feeling more drained and pessimistic about the , and even causing physical illness. I used to turn to social media for a bit of escapism, but it ended up making me sick.

So, from late 2020, I began to gradually reduce my use of Facebook. I went from using it daily to every other day. This soon became once every two days (a pattern I maintained for about a year), then once every three days, and finally once a week. Deleting the Facebook app made things easier as it helped me resist the temptation to visit the site.

This strategy worked hand in hand with my return to the office after lockdown. Being around people was the perfect distraction from going online, regardless of how many notifications were flashing on my phone. Plus, being outside and enjoying nature felt great – a personal highlight was scaling the Peak District.

March 15, 2024 marked the day I finally decided to quit Facebook for good. As I had already significantly reduced my usage, it seemed like the logical next step. I submitted a request to delete my account, and Facebook informed me that it would be permanently removed after a 30-day waiting period – a buffer in case I changed my mind. During this process, I was also able to download all my past posts.

The aftermath of quitting Facebook

A month later, I received an email confirming my account had been deleted. I felt a sense of relief wash over me. As the days turned into months, I began to feel like I had regained control of my life.

One major impact has been life-changing – I now have ample time to pursue all my interests. I've been able to read more books, work out at the gym, spend quality time with friends and family, and no longer feel the need to constantly check my phone, which had been causing me physical discomfort.

It's been a year since I quit Facebook, and I'm pleased to report that I feel revitalised, more alert and in control of my social media habits. I no longer experience the anxiety of feeling left out.

If you're sceptical about my experience, at Nottingham Trent University. The research found that abstaining from social media "significantly increased perceived mental wellbeing and social connectedness, and significantly decreased perceived FoMO [fear of missing out] in comparison to a seven-day period of social media use".

For those contemplating a social media cleanse, that aligns with my approach: make a plan, identify your triggers, limit or delete , hold yourself accountable, and re-evaluate before returning. It's not a straightforward process, but overcoming addiction never is.

So there you have it. I was once addicted to Facebook, but now I'm relieved to be free of it. My next target is Instagram. Will I manage to eliminate it? Only time will tell. Wish me luck.