Social media addiction is a pervasive issue that impacts people of all ages and is not talked about enough, according to Darius Roberts.
Roberts, who grew up in Vancouver and lived here most of his life, published his first book about a month ago. In “The 8 Steps to Freedom from Social Media Addiction,” he hopes to help readers form a healthier relationship with social media.
“I sincerely want to help as many as I can, even if in a small way, balance their lives and fight any addiction,” Roberts said in a press release. “I’ve struggled myself, so I believe in us helping each other. We are all connected.”
As someone who struggled with alcoholism himself, Roberts has made connections throughout the community with people dealing with all different types of addictions, he said. In the past, he volunteered at the Recovery Café.
The target audience for Roberts’ new book is anyone who often finds themselves glued to social media and emotionally attached to it, he said.
“I want this to be a deep breath in living life without the lens of social media,” Roberts said. “Enjoy the moments without.”
Roberts’ inspiration for “The 8 Steps to Freedom from Social Media Addiction” stemmed from his own experience finding himself attached to Facebook. In the past few years, as political divisions around the country widened, he often stayed up late engaged in “comment battles” and arguments on social media, he said. Relegating these discussions to the online realm loses the learning from each other that can occur when discussions are instead held in person, he said.
Another pattern Roberts notices on social media is the habit of comparing oneself to someone else based on what they post. This is not healthy, he said.
At the end of the book, Roberts included a workbook with space for guided reflection to help people “break up with social media.”
Though Roberts does not recommend that people never use social media again, he does suggest a break from it, including deleting all social media apps off your phone for 21 days; it takes that long to create a habit, he says. The goal after reintroducing social media into your life is to figure out how to “maintain balance.”
“Put social media in its place,” Roberts said, hoping to inspire others to create balance and prioritize their mental health in relation to social media.
Roberts is already looking ahead to his next book, a memoir titled “Brother in Recovery.” He plans to publish it in spring 2023.
For more information about “The 8 Steps to Freedom from Social Media Addiction” and Roberts himself, search for the author at amazon.com/Darius–Roberts .
