If Only: Social Media Shut Down at 6pm Daily
Could we reclaim our precious time & attention? Connect deeply with our IRL environments and relationships? Or would we just find other ways to be disembodied and connect with everyone...and no one?
Imagine a world where, as the clock strikes six, every social media app closes its metaphorical doors. No more doomscrolling, TikTok rabbit holes, or late-night Twitter debates with strangers. Instead, evenings are filled with undistracted dinners, heartfelt conversations, and quiet moments of reflection. When the apps shut down, we look up. We tune into what’s in front of us. We reconnect with the people and environments around us - and perhaps even reconnect with ourselves.
This concept of enforced disconnection isn’t entirely new. Countries like France have already explored similar ideas in the workplace. In 2017, they introduced a “right to disconnect” law, requiring companies to respect employees’ downtime and limit after-hours communication or face financial penalties and even jail time for managers violating the terms collectively agreed upon within their company1. The premise is simple: technology is a tool - not a tyrant - and boundaries can help restore a sense of balance, benefitting both individuals and places of work.
So - could similar but more expansive boundaries around social media do the same for us as humans? Could this “digital curfew” create a healthier, more grounded society? Or would it simply redirect our restless thumbs toward other glowing screens?
Let’s consider what might happen if we collectively shut down social media every evening.
The Case for Disconnecting
We know social media can amplify stress and erode focus. A 2019 study published in JAMA Psychiatry linked heavy social media use to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances, particularly among teens2.
It’s not hard to imagine that unplugging in the evening could help us wind down, reclaim mental clarity, and reconnect with what matters most. Imagine evenings without that constant pull to check notifications or refresh feeds. You could go for a walk and actually notice the sunset rather than capturing it for Instagram. You could have a conversation with your partner without glancing at your phone every few minutes. You could even—dare I say it—get bored, opening up the creative and reflective spaces that boredom often fosters. I’d argue that most of the world’s great cultural works sprang from the emptiness that only boredom can provide.
Beyond mental health, connection, and creativity, there’s evidence that even the mere presence of a smartphone diminishes our cognitive capacity as a whole. Social media is engineered to be addictive, preying on our psychological need for validation, novelty, and connection - and that addictiveness keeps us distracted even when we’re not already looking at our phones. Research from the University of Texas found that keeping a phone within reach—even turned off—demands part of your brain’s attention3. Removing this constant low-grade distraction could free up mental energy for creative pursuits and simply being present in your surroundings.
And what about our relationships? Studies have shown that quality time with loved ones is one of the most significant contributors to personal happiness4. By shutting off social media, we’re more likely to deepen our connections with the people physically present in our lives—our families, neighbors, and communities. In Vermont, where town halls and potluck dinners are still part of the cultural fabric, this idea feels especially poignant.
Maybe more of us would start showing up at these local gatherings instead of liking a post about them from afar. Imagine an entire state logging off at the same time, trading DMs for IRL chats and Instagram filters for the real glow of a woodstove. It’s a romantic notion, isn’t it? But it doesn’t have to be just romantic - it could be real (and TBH, for many Vermonters, it is, thank goodness).
The Skeptic’s View
This all sounds fabulous, right? But is it practical—or fair? Social media isn’t just a time-waster; it’s also a lifeline for many. A 2021 Pew Research Center report highlights how historically marginalized communities use platforms to connect, advocate, and organize5. A mandatory evening shutdown could silence important conversations or make people feel more isolated - not less.
One could also argue that regular social media access outside of one’s 9-to-5 job creates opportunities to bolster a creative career, make that extra cash that lets you save for a down payment on a house, etc. If you got off work at 5pm and could only use social media for an hour afterwards (and less if you commute to work, as most do)…would you ever be able to develop that side hustle into a front hustle and free yourself from the corporate hellscape?
Then there’s the reality that our digital habits wouldn’t simply vanish. Humans are remarkably adaptable—and not always in the healthiest ways. If social media disappeared after 6 p.m., would we rediscover letter-writing and face-to-face conversations? Or would we just replace one screen with another, bingeing Netflix or diving into video games? The problem isn’t just social media itself but our broader relationship with technology.
Moreover, banning something almost always breeds rebellion. If social media were off-limits after 6 p.m., would people just turn to other distractions—whether it’s binge-watching TV, gaming, or endlessly scrolling news sites? Without addressing why we’re so glued to our screens in the first place, would a social media curfew really solve the problem? (That why is a bigger topic for another time.) For certain, Vermonters would grumble despite our love of IRL connection and our less-than-ideal internet access…because goodness knows that we’re (in)famous for being contrarian!
And let’s not forget the logistical barriers. How would this be implemented? Would it involve government regulation, which raises questions about overreach and freedom of choice? Would it be voluntary, relying on tech companies or individuals to self-regulate? The likelihood of this idea starts to unravel as you dig deeper into some of these (im)possibilities. Hell, we can’t even get facebook to adequately crack down on Russian disinformation campaigns, right?
But maybe - just maybe - there are ways to capture the spirit of this within the realm of possibility.
A Middle Ground
The better path forward might blend personal mindfulness with systemic change. Imagine a workplace offering financial incentives for employees who stay totally offline after hours. Or local communities hosting evening activities—like potlucks, storytelling nights, game nights, and tech-free meditation sessions—that make unplugging feel like a collective joy rather than a lonely chore. These events could double as powerful spaces for collective organization and activism on a hyper-local scale, and then elected emissaries from each hyper-local activist org could communicate and collaborate with their counterparts from other orgs via email, or phone and FaceTime calls.
For folks who use social media to make a living, maybe platforms could implement a model where it was possible to create, upload, and schedule content between, say, 6pm and 8pm…but you wouldn’t be able to interact with other users’ content or comments and DMs during that time. This might collectively bring down our cultural expectation of ever-fresher and ever-higher-production content from internet creators - fever pitch of work that burns out many a talented creator or sees them fade into obscurity when they take a break to protect their mental health.
If something like this was implemented on a scale that transcended employer-employee relationships, put up guardrails for healthy social media use, and made space for the good that social media can do, the impact could be profound - both for individuals and for us as a society.
Why It Matters
In the end, the idea of a 6 p.m. social media curfew isn’t really about the apps themselves. It’s about the life we want to lead: one where our attention isn’t hijacked by algorithms, our evenings aren’t consumed by FOMO, and our sense of connection isn’t limited to a Wi-Fi signal.
So, would shutting down social media each evening save us—or would we find new ways to distract ourselves and stay disconnected? Would those who rely on social media for money be stymied in getting closer to The American Dream? And are there ways to keep communities who use social media for active good from being disproportionately impacted? These are questions worth asking because as anyone who’s stared at their screen too long knows, sometimes the hardest thing isn’t disconnecting—it’s figuring out what to connect to instead.
After all, isn’t that the ultimate goal? Connecting? Or is the goal actually disconnecting (from ourselves, our environment, etc)? That’s a question that might change this conversation entirely - and I’d love to know what you think about it.
Thank y’all for reading this edition of “If Only,” one of the distinct segments within To Be a Good Vermonter. If you enjoy this content, please subscribe, share, and join the conversation—online or off.
Warmly,
Jack