How To Stop Watching YouTube?

Around 27% of users watch videos on YouTube for more than 10 hours a week. As a result, they find themselves watching videos for longer periods, which leads to addiction.

While the average user spends approximately 43.7 minutes watching videos, those struggling with addiction tend to extend far beyond this duration.

If you’re wondering how to reduce your YouTube binging habit, there are certain things that you may need to follow. Interested in learning how? Continue reading to discover effective strategies.

How To Stop Watching YouTube Videos? 7 Best Remedies

Being addicted to YouTube is like losing control over yourself and giving it to technology and media. 

However, you can overcome YouTube addiction if you control yourself in terms of watching the videos. So, here are a few remedies that will help you stop watching YouTube videos:

#1. Use Website Blockers

One of the easiest ways to curb your habit of watching YouTube videos excessively is to use website blockers. When you’re trying to reduce your YouTube browsing habits, it’s advisable to install website blockers on all your devices, especially on your smartphones and laptops. 

However, you must pay special attention while selecting the website blocker. It is advisable to opt for a secure and trustworthy website blocker to safeguard your data while effectively controlling your online activities. 

#2. Set Time Limits

Implementing time limits is important when aiming to reduce excessive YouTube video consumption. Instead of attempting to cut off video watching completely, introduce restrictions to encourage a gradual reduction in your viewing habits. 

For example, you can lock the YouTube app and unlock it only at a specific time of day for a certain number of hours. Setting time limits allows you to gradually control your habit of watching excessive YouTube videos. 

#3. Practice Offline Activities

You don’t always have to be online. You may follow a few offline activities. These types of daily distractions can help you live outside of the online world. You could engage in a hobby with the time you spend watching YouTube videos. 

You may also use the time to paint, watch TV, read, or spend quality time with your friends and family. 

#4. Stop Video Recommendations

If you constantly receive video recommendations, you should stop them. You can prevent the notifications in your YouTube settings. 

Personalized recommendations will lead you to watch the videos one after the other constantly. When the video recommendations stop, you may not find certain content interesting. 

#5. Unsubscribe Addictive Channels

Certain channels on YouTube may have extremely addictive content, especially from your perspective. If there’s a channel you’re addicted to, you should unsubscribe from it for some time. 

Unsubscribing will prevent recommendations, so the habit of constantly watching videos from that channel will also decrease. It can play an integral role in reducing the watch time. 

#6. Uninstall the YouTube App

If you want to cut down your YouTube addiction totally, simply uninstall the YouTube app. On some smartphones, the YouTube app is the default system app. So, you can force stop on such devices from the settings.

Therefore, you can also consider uninstalling the YouTube app from the Play Store itself. Uninstalling the YouTube app leads you to forget about the app for some time. 

#7. Turn Off Autoplay 

By turning off autoplay, you prevent YouTube videos from automatically playing consecutively. Instead, you’ll receive a notification when a video ends, allowing you to close the app and engage in other activities. 

As a result, you may start engaging in different offline activities while you’re away from YouTube. It is a type of detoxification that you may opt for. 

What are the Causes of Becoming Addicted to YouTube?

It may take you some time to realize it, but YouTube addiction will set in. Some common reasons why it occurs are as follows:

#1. Personalized Recommendations

When you’re watching YouTube videos, the platform often suggests videos based on your viewing history stored in its database. Around 70% of what you watch on YouTube is based on algorithm recommendations. 

Thus, when you open the YouTube app again, you’re presented with recommendations aligned with your preferences that have yet to be viewed. This tendency can lead to binge-watching sessions as you explore content that aligns with your interests.

#2. Multi-device Availability

You can use YouTube anywhere and on most of the devices. You can use it on your laptop, personal computer, and even your smartphone. When you constantly use YouTube on different devices, you tend to become addicted to it. 

#3. FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

Subscribing to particular YouTube channels often creates an urge to watch the latest content that the particular creator uploads. Thus, this fear of missing out can fuel binge-watching behavior, which is a clear sign of potential addiction. 

#4. Constant Alerts and Notifications

You will receive constant alerts and notifications from the platform whenever a video is put up. Such alerts trigger you to watch those YouTube videos, which also leads to being addicted. So, as soon as a new YouTube video is available, you will rush to watch it. 

#5. Abundance of Content on Various Topics

YouTube is a lot like Google; topics are abundant. Each day, one or the other creator will be uploading their videos. Studies show that more than 500 hours of videos are uploaded on YouTube per minute. 

Thus, you can get access to all the content they upload and enjoy watching it. Such an abundance of topics can get you addicted to the vast amount of YouTube videos.  

What Are The Negative Consequences Of Excessive YouTube Watching?

If you’re watching YouTube excessively, it can have some potential negative impacts. While these may not be long-lasting, they can surely be annoying as long as they last. 

So, here are some of the major negative impacts that you’re likely to encounter:

#1. Loss of Productivity

Devoting excessive time to YouTube can diminish productivity significantly. Instead of attending to completing your tasks and responsibilities, you may spend a long time scrolling through videos on the platform, often leading to increased procrastination. 

This diversion prevents the completion of crucial tasks, ultimately hampering overall productivity.

#2. Unrealistic Expectations

YouTube is one of those platforms where most of the creators show off their luxurious lifestyles. Continuously watching such exaggerated lifestyles can also lead you to establish unrealistic expectations. 

For example, you may want unreachable beauty standards or lifestyle choices that make you feel bad about yourself. 

#3. Impact on Health (Physical and Mental)

In terms of physical health, watching YouTube videos continuously will disrupt your sleeping cycles and cause posture issues if you’re not sitting properly. 

It will also affect you mentally, as you may feel like a loser watching the exaggerated lifestyles of YouTubers. Moreover, you end up comparing yourself to these YouTube creators, which also leads to depression and anxiety. 

Now, we’ll give you a few quick tips on how to reduce your YouTube watching time.

4 Tips To Reduce Watching Time On YouTube

As your watch time on YouTube increases, you need to be slightly mindful about certain things. So, here are a few tips that can help you reduce your watch time on YouTube:

#1. Set Clear Goals: When you set specific objectives, such as learning new skills or gaining knowledge on a particular topic, you become more intentional toward them. This focus on purposeful activities makes it easier to stick to your goals and limit overall watching time. 

#2. Create a Schedule: Having a schedule or timetable can be important in reducing your watching time. Use a reminder app to set how many hours you may watch YouTube in a day. Make sure to prepare a schedule along with it so you can stick to it with reminders. 

#3. Mindful Consumption: When you’re trying to reduce your watch time, you should only watch content that aligns with your interests and goals. So, by choosing purposeful content, you can effectively reduce your overall viewing time and ensure that the videos you watch align with your self-improvement objectives.

#4. Accountability Partner: Your accountability partner constantly reminds you about your YouTube addiction. They should take accountability for their actions and also encourage you to stick to your decision to lower the watch time. 

Read More:

• YouTube Vs TikTok: Which Platform Is Good for You?
• YouTube Channel Statistics That Matter to Marketers 2024?

Final Thoughts

Utilize the ways given in this guide to gradually or entirely reduce your YouTube watch time and be relieved from this addiction. It’s important to know that getting too immersed can be a bit risky. Therefore, ensure you follow the right practices to consistently overcome the challenges of watching YouTube.

Many engaging and informative videos are available, and you can get addicted to it and develop a special connection. So, mindful consumption is required while surfing through the platform to be safe.