Very apropos considering Tuesday’s Netflix post and that TikTok might be getting banned. Maybe not so apropos considering one of my Resolutions is cutting screen time…
There are so many parenting influencers (we do consider ourselves one), and all of those accounts, commentaries and opinions contribute to a lot of parenting noise. What may have started as a mindless scroll to turn your brain off, might end up with you questioning your parenting choices, feeling like you have to buy every product under the sun, or leave you genuinely scared for this generation.
And it doesn’t stop at parenting noise. Similar to spending hours on a video game or bingeing on the couch, once you stop, you’re like “Where did my life go?”. You end up dysregulated, feeling lazy, and asking yourself “Did I really need to watch 20 minutes of wild Karen encounters?”
In my infinite scrolling last fall, an ad showed up about turning your screen time into microlearning. Of course, I’m not going to pay for whatever app or course they are trying to promote, but it did make me reconsider the types of content I’ve been consuming.
Your TikTok For You feed is always going to be a train wreck. Mine has gone anywhere from Vanderpump Rules recaps to Eras tour shaky cam to child support rulings. Whatever algorithm dark arts is going on, it’s both pretty specific and not at the same time.
So how do we cut through the noise and make a better TikTok experience?
By better curating your Following feed.
Clear it out
I go through my Following list every other month and declutter. IG and TikTok will automatically add people to your Follow list as well. There is a general turnover of inactive accounts and spam accounts. I also don’t follow fan accounts, because they generally just perpetuate the same content and it’s not exactly informative. (So many Swiftie Easter Egg accounts…)
I think this refreshes your Following and you’ll see videos more chronologically, instead of new follows suppressing older accounts. Just from writing this blog post, I’ve unfollowed 10 random accounts that wound up in my feed. So if you need a good task to check off your to-do list, have at it.
The TikTok Search Engine
There are a few topics I will automatically go to TT to search for: plant care, recipes, hiking and travel recommendations, etc. I am less likely to find ads if I go this route. It’s also a good place to search for kids activity ideas and family vacation spots.
Freak Flag (not like that…)
I love that some accounts are super niche and really informative. Lots of #BookTok and #ParentTok in my feed, but I also got into geology, spooky lakes, thrifting. My girls often asked to watch chocolate sculpting videos, ASMR cooking videos, and even stumbled upon bee rescue videos. Do a little bit of self-reflection on your hobbies and interests, and don’t let the algorithm completely decide what you consume.
Community
There are reasons why parent content creators do so well. People can find community on TikTok. They want to know if what their kid is doing is typical, or they are having trouble navigating a behavior situation or a partnership situation. Sometimes we need a little bit of reassurance or perspective. Careful not to create an echo chamber, though.
Back to the Microlearning
Microlearning is an approach where you take in new information in short chunks of time. A short TikTok video or multi-part video is the perfect medium for this. Whether it’s a home hack, or short recipe, or book review; it’s quick, easy to remember, and easily saved to reference back to. The app has gone a long way from just dance videos.
With this perspective, I can gauge my time on the app based on what I’ve learned. If something has piqued my interest and I want to try it out, then I don’t think it’s a terrible waste of time. If I find that I’ve just been swiping through the same ads over and over (Beach wave curlers and most currently, Honeylove shapewear) then that is good sign that I need to put the app away.
Here are a few accounts I’ve been following for a while that I think have a good mix information and entertaining content:
Condiment Claire – Fun foodie account with food history
Hello Hayes – Advice account on people etiquette
She is a Paige Turner – Mom account about gendered division of labor
MillennialMatLeave – Mom account about handling in-laws
Your Rich BFF – Financial advice for Millennials
American Mom in Paris – Love the aesthetic and parenting culture comparison
The Daily Show – Because I don’t have Paramount+
Fa2chainz – Love 2000’s pop culture/music history
Wishbone Kitchen – Original Hamptons private chef account
Tanner the Planter – Original home plant care account
Brittanstein – Weird History
Annelise the Archaeologist – Weird Archaeology, especially Egyptian
Renae – Appliance Repair tech who has changed my entire cleaning routine
Child(ish) Advice – Obviously…
Other Tips
Engagement will also play a role in what pops up in your feeds. Obviously, we all know that a like/heart/share/full view/comment will boost that creator and put more of their content in your face.
I also don’t follow the same creators on both IG and TikTok. This way I’m not getting duplicate content. This is at your discretion, but I try to make sure that the people I follow on IG also have good static posts and links, not just reels or stories.
Sometimes we want a good mindless scroll and that’s not hard to do. I have a fair share of comedians, AITA, and lifestyle influencers that populate my feed as well. But if you’re feeling like your brain is getting numb, it’s probably time to switch up your social media consumption habits.
In the screen time debate, we always touch on monitoring content and time for your kids. We should be doing the same for ourselves as well. Happy Microlearning!
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