LPT: To stop late-night doomscrolling, change your lock screen to something meaningful (As-salamu alaykum)

As-salamu alaykum. I kept getting into this routine where every night I’d lie down, tell myself I’d just check one thing, and then an hour would vanish. It always happened when I was extra tired and my mind had no filter left. I tried app limits, putting the phone across the room, and other tricks, but I kept slipping past them without thinking. It felt like my mind had a shortcut that opened social media the moment the lock screen showed up. One day I swapped the lock screen for a photo that really matters to me-not just a pretty background, but something that hits me emotionally in a good way. For me it’s a picture of a place I want to visit with my family and have been saving for. Since I put it there, I actually pause when I pick up my phone. Instead of automatically doomscrolling, my brain stops and remembers why I want better evenings and more restful sleep. The urge to keep swiping drops because I’m reminded of something bigger than the random content waiting online. It’s a simple trick but it helped more than timers, strict rules, or willpower. A small interruption right when you usually go on autopilot can break the loop. Choose a photo that gives you that feeling-maybe a family moment, a goal you’re saving for, or a reminder of your faith-set it as your lock screen, and let it stop the habit before it starts. It won’t solve everything, but it might save many of your nights from being wasted.