Throw out your smartphone, replace it with a dumb phone. If that's not possible, the next best thing is to delete all the social apps from your phone and resist the urge to install them back and don't replace the habit of checking them on your phone with checking them on your laptop/desktop.
Lastly, it's crucial to replace the time you spent on social media with something else useful.. read, draw, make music, study something, go outside, sports, gym etc
- Delete the social media apps from your phone, set a strong password/2FA and make yourself login via web to check.
- If its a social media account used for purely browsing/posting (i.e. not used to keep in touch with family) delete it. It really changes the browsing when you can't comment and don't have a "score" to look at. [PS]
- Stop following people you don't personally know, except maybe tech related stuff since following those can be helpful (zero day vulnerability stuff, cool features, etc.) If you limit yourself to people you know, as in you actively keep in touch with, then feeds become less cluttered. Its less engaging but thats the point.
- Are you doom-scrolling? [0] Looking at "news" on places like reddit can do that. Having an account to have a curated list of sub-reddits sounds like a good idea, right? No. It encourages you to post comments which pulls you in. Limit to top 50 in r/all, any "news" that shows there might be actual news vs. scary headlines. Limit via time.
- Get an app that tracks time spent online or specific sites. Limit yourself, make it a game to lower your time.
- You'd be better off binge watching some shows/movies you like.
[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomscrolling
[PS] - I look at the HN points as an indicator if something I commented on is getting comments, like there might be an active discussion happening. I'd rather they changed it to that to encourage discussion and not encourage point gathering, but I don't work here so meh.
That being said, its of the utmost importance to realize that most of the stuff you read on SM is fiction, until strongly proven otherwise. And arguing what is right/wrong in fiction is a pointless exercise.
Social media allows people (and companies and politicians, etc.) to create the narrative they want the world to see. I would suggest to the OP to stop following anyone you personally don't know or keep in contact with as in unless you met them or have common acquaintance, don't follow. The exception being professionals or things related to career. I find following various people/companies related to technologies to be beneficial.
With Android this can easily be done through the Developer options.