How to Overcome Social Media Addiction During Exam Periods (5 Practical Steps)
Let’s be honest with each other. You sat down at your reading table by 7:00 PM, fully ready to crush that Chemistry or Government textbook. You told yourself, “Let me just check WhatsApp for 5 minutes.”
Next thing you know, you look up, and it’s 10:30 PM. You’ve spent the last three hours arguing about Chelsea vs. Arsenal on Twitter or watching TikTok skits. Now, the guilt is hitting you hard.
Does this sound familiar?
It happens to the best of us. But when JAMB, WAEC, or your semester exams are around the corner, this habit goes from “annoying” to dangerous. Knowing how to overcome Social Media addiction during exam periods is probably the single most important skill you need right now—more than memorizing formulas.
If you don’t fix this, your grades will suffer. It’s that simple.
Here is exactly how I handle it, and how you can too.
1. Stop Relying on Willpower (It Doesn’t Work)
Here is the mistake most students make. You think you can just “decide” not to press your phone.
You can’t.
Social media apps are designed by geniuses in California specifically to keep you addicted. They are smarter than your willpower. So, stop fighting a fair fight. You need to cheat.
The Fix: During serious study sessions, turn off your data. If that’s not enough, use app blockers. There are apps like “Forest” or “Freedom” that literally lock you out of Instagram and TikTok for a set time. If you use a Tecno or Infinix, check your “Digital Wellbeing” settings and set a strict timer for the apps that steal your time.
2. The “Another Room” Rule
I used to keep my phone on my desk “just in case” I needed to check a word in the dictionary. Big lie.
As long as that phone is within arm’s reach, your brain is doing extra work to ignore it. That drains the energy you should be using to study.
The Fix: When it’s time to read, put your phone in another room. Give it to your mom. Put it in the kitchen. If you are in a hostel, lock it inside your cupboard and give the key to your roommate.
The physical distance makes it lazy for you to go and get it. You’ll find that you can focus for much longer stretches. This is one of the effective study habits that separates A-students from the rest.
3. Don’t Go Cold Turkey (Schedule the Scrolling)
If you try to ban social media completely, you will crash and burn. You’ll last two days, and then on the third day, you’ll binge-scroll for six hours.
The Fix: Treat social media like a reward, not a constant background noise.
Tell yourself: “I will read this biology chapter for 2 hours. After that, I will press my phone for exactly 15 minutes.”
This way, you aren’t depriving yourself. You are just delaying the gratification. It actually makes the scrolling feel better because you earned it.
4. Remember What is at Stake
Sometimes, you need a little bit of fear to wake you up.
Ask yourself: Do you want to rewrite JAMB next year? Do you want to see your mates posting their matriculation pictures while you are at home explaining to your parents why you didn’t meet the cut-off mark?
Social media is sweet, but admission is sweeter.
The memes will still be there after your exams. That viral video will still be online. But this exam sitting? It’s once a year. Don’t trade your future for temporary likes.
According to a report by The Guardian Nigeria, distraction from phones is one of the leading causes of mass failure in recent WAEC exams. Don’t be a statistic.
5. Replace the “Boredom”
Usually, we pick up our phones because studying gets boring or difficult. Our brain wants a quick escape.
Instead of reaching for the phone when you get stuck on a hard math problem, switch tasks.
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Read a different subject.
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Take a walk.
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Drink water.
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Do five pushups.
Do anything except looking at a screen. We discussed this strategy in detail in our guide on how to prepare for an exam in a short time. The goal is to reset your brain without falling into the social media trap.
Final Thoughts
You are not addicted because you are weak; you are addicted because these apps are powerful. But you are the one in charge of your life.
The exam period is short. It’s just a few weeks of discipline for years of freedom at the university of your choice.
Put the phone down. Pick the book up. You’ve got this.
For more tips on managing exam stress, you can check out resources from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) official portal.
