I used to think of my social media feed as entertainment. Open the app, scroll for a few minutes, close it. Nothing serious.
Then I started noticing that I was carrying the feed with me after I put the phone down.
A clip would stay in my head during salah. Somebody else’s lifestyle would make my own life feel smaller. An argument between strangers would leave me irritated. A motivational video would make me feel inspired for thirty seconds, then I would keep scrolling until the feeling disappeared.
That made me ask a much better question than “How much screen time did I have?”
What kind of person is my feed training me to become when I am not looking at the screen?
Your feed is not just content, it is company
One hadith keeps coming back to me when I think about social media. In Sahih al-Bukhari 5534, the Prophet ﷺ compared good company to a seller of musk and bad company to a blacksmith’s furnace. The people around us leave something on us.
I am not claiming that an algorithm is literally the same as a human companion. But I do think the principle is useful. If I spend an hour every day listening to the same creators, absorbing the same jokes, watching the same arguments and admiring the same lifestyles, that repeated exposure is going to influence me.
Ofcom’s 2026 research found social media remains widespread in the UK, while many adults admit they sometimes spend too long on their devices. The question for me is not whether the internet is going away. It is whether I am choosing what enters my attention or simply accepting whatever the algorithm learns will keep me there.
The five signs I use to audit my feed
1. What happens to my salah?
This is the first test because it exposes a lot.
Do I delay prayer because I am watching “one more” video? Do I pick up the phone immediately after salah before the calm has even settled? When I stand to pray, is my mind replaying clips, comments and notifications?
I do not expect perfect concentration. But if my feed consistently makes worship harder, I cannot pretend it is neutral.
2. Does it make me grateful or permanently behind?
There is always somebody online with a better house, holiday, body, marriage, business, wardrobe or routine.
The feed can make exceptional moments look normal because I see hundreds of them together. Then my ordinary Tuesday starts to look like failure.
If I leave an app feeling dissatisfied with blessings I was grateful for before I opened it, I take that seriously.
3. Am I becoming more argumentative?
Some accounts grow by keeping people angry. Every topic becomes a battle. Every mistake becomes evidence that the other side is corrupt. Every comment section becomes a place to prove ourselves.
I notice a difference in myself when I consume too much of that. I become sharper in my head, quicker to judge and more interested in winning than understanding.
That is not the person I want my feed to train.
4. What does it normalise?
Repeated exposure changes what feels ordinary.
Things I would once have scrolled past with discomfort can become normal simply because I have seen them hundreds of times. The same works positively. If my feed repeatedly shows Qur’an, good character, family responsibility, useful knowledge and people serving others, those things become more present in my mind too.
That is why I think curation matters.
5. Do I actually feel better after using it?
This sounds basic, but I often forget to ask it.
Not “Was I entertained?” Not “Did I find something interesting?”
Do I feel calmer, clearer, motivated and connected to real life, or restless, scattered and slightly empty?
The after-effect tells me more than the content itself.
My seven-day feed reset
When my feed starts feeling unhealthy, I do not always need a dramatic digital detox. I usually start with seven days of deliberate changes.
- Unfollow without guilt. If an account repeatedly leaves me angry, envious or spiritually flat, I remove it.
- Mute when unfollowing feels awkward. I do not need to make a statement. I just need to protect my attention.
- Add better inputs. I follow Qur’an, useful Islamic learning, fitness, business, family and other content that genuinely benefits me.
- Use “not interested”. Algorithms learn from behaviour. I actively tell the platform what I do not want.
- Stop hate-watching. Watching a video because it annoys me still teaches the algorithm to give me more.
- Create phone-free spaces. Salah, meals and the first part of the morning are good places to start.
- Notice the result. After a week I ask whether my mood and attention changed.
I also try to remember that “Islamic content” is not automatically healthy content
This one is important.
An account can use Islamic language and still build its entire model around outrage, humiliation, public arguments and constant fear. A clip can contain a hadith and still be edited in a way that removes balance or context.
I do not only ask, “Is this Islamic?” I ask, “What is this doing to my character?”
What a healthier feed looks like for me
- It reminds me of Allah without keeping me glued to the app.
- It sends me towards deeper learning rather than pretending a clip is enough.
- It makes me want to do something useful offline.
- It gives me perspective instead of permanent comparison.
- It does not need an enemy every day to hold my attention.
- It leaves room for family, work, salah and quiet.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to delete social media to protect my imaan?
That is not what I am saying. I use social media myself. I am trying to use it more deliberately rather than assuming every feed is harmless.
What if my work requires social media?
Then boundaries matter even more. I find it helpful to separate posting or replying for work from open-ended scrolling.
How quickly can I change my algorithm?
Platforms differ, but behaviour matters. Unfollowing, muting, using “not interested” and refusing to watch content that hooks me negatively can change what I am shown over time.
Sources and further reading
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5534 on the effect of good and bad company.
- Ofcom, Adults’ Media Use and Attitudes 2026.
My takeaway: I cannot control everything the internet contains, but I can be much more intentional about what I repeatedly invite into my mind.
