This is an experimental commitment device market about restricting use of a variety of social media and video content apps on mobile devices. I mainly use Twitch and YouTube a lot and want to see how this restriction affects my daily life.
Timeframe
2025-09-26 to 2025-10-03, inclusive.
Covered apps and devices
YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Reddit, Instagram, Facebook, and other apps and websites that primarily deliver video content; devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops.
Exceptions
Educational use: Allowed when directly related to my studies.
Secondary functions: Messaging, bookmarking/saving links, or remote/control functions are allowed.
No circumvention: No using other apps (e.g., browsers) on mobile to access the same content to evade these rules.
Daily threshold
Any non‑exception usage under 5 minutes per app per day does not count toward a violation.
Resolution criteria
YES if, for every day in the timeframe, usage on covered devices either falls under the allowed exceptions or remains under 5 minutes of non‑exception usage per app.
NO if, on any day in the timeframe, non‑exception usage exceeds 5 minutes per app.
Additional notes:
I will not trade on this market.
I'll delete most of those apps to make it easier.
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People are also trading
For me, the most helpful thing was to create a "low-effort" tag in my read-it-later app (I use Readeck). Reading it requires about the same frame of mind as watching video content.
I put essentially everything I read through the app (mostly RSS and a few news publications) and separate adding stuff from reading.
I have no regrets about not watching YouTube. It just takes too much time.
@DanHomerick Banning those plattforms altogether would have been cleaner and much harder. I've tried that before, but that's not my intention with this market.
On second thought, I could have created a market that limits me to reading and not consuming any other audiovisual media when in bed only. The main problem I want to tackle is that I watch too much YouTube and Twitch in bed or I doomscroll on Reddit, in the mornings and evenings.
@JasonQ When watching YouTube on my TV I may use the app to cast a video or to search for a video. If someone sends me a video or a video is linked in a news article, I may bookmark it. If someone messages me on IG or Twitch I may respond, although I don't typically use those apps for messaging.