Why we're all posting less on social media these days

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Americans say they post less than they did five years ago.
• They've deleted a social or messaging app due to stress or anxiety.
• Disconnecting brings relief, but also feelings of anxiety and FOMO.

New research from Incogni suggests Americans are quietly pulling back from social media, especially compared to just a few years ago. They're not necessarily deleting every account, but they are sharing less, posting to smaller audiences, removing stressful apps, and becoming more mindful about mental health and the effects of digital burnout.

Feels like work

Incogni surveyed a representative sample of 1,000 US adults between June 1 and June 9, 2026.

The big finding: 55% of respondents said they post less now than they did five years ago. Another 53% said they have become "stricter" about who can see their posts. The study also found that 47% of respondents have deleted a social or messaging app because of "stress or anxiety." That's higher among younger adults, with 61% of millennials and 56% of Gen Z respondents.

That tracks with my experience. I've noticed that deleting the apps causing my most compulsive behavior -- like TikTok, X, Instagram, and Messenger -- make a big difference. App limits help, but they are easy to ignore. A deleted app is harder to reinstall and sign back into at 11:30 pm while lying in bed and pretending five minutes of scrolling will not become 45.

Also: The simple phone habit change that saves your screen time (and your sanity)

Incogni also found that more than half of respondents, 51%, said maintaining an online presence "feels like work." Among Gen Z, that rose to 60%. Even 38% of baby boomers agreed.

Think about it. Social media used to be easy. I'd dump an entire album of vacation photos on Facebook, RT a joke on X, or fire off a DM to catch up with people over Instagram or Messenger. Now, it can feel like a chore, yet another inbox to manage, or a big public display. It's not relaxing. It's unpaid labor with a side of embarrassment, and it has the potential to result in ping overload.

Trying to disappear a little

I used to think screen time was simply part of the job. I work online and write about tech, which means testing phones, trying new apps and social platforms, constantly checking the news, and spending a lot of time staring at a laptop or phone. Then, last year, I noticed I was averaging roughly 13 hours of daily screen time across my Apple devices. That number is obscene.

Also: I bricked my iPhone to prevent doomscrolling - how life has been after six months of use

My screen time metrics showed I was opening some apps hundreds of times a day. I was stuck in a constant loop of checking, scrolling, reacting, replying, and opening apps before I even realized what I was doing. I needed to cut back.

So I set app limits, deleted apps, moved my phone out of reach during movies and meals, bought a physical alarm clock, and turned off nearly every notification that was not a call or text. Eventually, my average phone screen time dropped to about an hour a day. I felt clear-headed, more focused, more intentional, and more present than I had in perhaps my entire adult life.

Sad, but also kind of awesome.

Apparently, though, I am not the only one trying to disappear a little online.

Mental health is important

An interesting point in Incogni's data: Compared to years ago, fewer people want their feed to be full of conflict, outrage, misinformation, and emotionally exhausting discourse. During its research, Incogni looked at politics and found that 44% of respondents want to "withdraw from social media" due to political content and polarization. 

Of that group, 14% strongly agreed, and 30% agreed.

A third of respondents could even see themselves quitting if conflicts with their loved ones arose over their social media use. More than half of respondents, 51%, also said privacy or security risks could push them to leave or delete social media accounts. 

Harassment, bullying, and hate speech followed as other major triggers.

Also: Bloom Card vs. Brick: My verdict after trying both gadgets to cut screen time

Mental health was especially important for younger users, too. Incogni found that 44% of Gen Z and 42% of millennial respondents cited mental health issues as a potential reason to delete accounts, compared with 25% of Gen X and 12% of baby boomers.

A contradiction

There is a curious contradiction in the data: Disconnecting doesn't immediately equal feeling good.

Incogni asked respondents how they felt after going an extended period without checking messages. Sure, peacefulness was the most common response, cited by 27% of respondents. But 22% reported anxiety, and 21% reported relaxation.

Gen Z reported the most negative emotions around not checking messages, with 34% experiencing anxiety and 29% experiencing "FOMO" (fear of missing out). Millennials followed at 26% and 21%, respectively. This is especially interesting to me, because when I disconnect, I mostly feel good. After all, I still had texting, so friends and family could reach me that way.

Also: How to clean up your digital footprint - and why it matters more than you think

However, when I started keeping my phone in another room during activities, it did feel wrong. I chalked it up to notifications training my brain to expect interruption or to almost crave it like a dopamine hit. In that sense, I did feel anxious or like I was missing out.

It didn't last long. After cutting my own screen time, the biggest change I noticed was in my attention span. I actually had one again. Movies felt more enjoyable and memorable. Conversations felt more personable. The best part? My hobbies came back.

My phone stopped feeling like the center of everything.

The death of the social internet

Reading through Incogni's research, I couldn't help but feel like the social internet is dying. But Incogni said it isn't. It's just becoming quieter, more guarded, and more private, with 53% of respondents saying they are more selective about what they post today. I'm still online, even after my attempt to cut screen time. But like others, I'm posting less and sharing with fewer people.

"Online engagement apparently used to feel like connection to users and was presumably fun for many people," said Incogni.

Also: You're being tracked online - 9 easy ways to stop the surveillance

"Now, the majority of users indicate that maintaining an online presence feels like work," Incogni added. "From algorithms that demand both attention (from users) and subservience (from creators) to a rising tide of AI slop that's already displaced all too much legitimate content, it's little wonder that people are limiting what they share while generally withdrawing from online life."

It seems people are not just tired of screens. They are tired of being reachable, visible, reactive, and available all the time, or at least that's how I felt. And increasingly, we are doing something about it.