Avoiding YouTube addiction - some tips \ stacker news ~alter

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450 sats \ 21 comments \ @Signal312 31 May alter_native

I've really happy with my setup for avoiding YouTube addiction, while still, occasionally, being able to watch some videos.

Here's the details:

I flat out don't run regular youtube.com on my main laptop. To do this, I edited my hosts file, to restrict certain websites, including YouTube.com. You can find detailed instructions on this online, but basically open up the file in a text editor (you need admin permissions), add a line like this - 127.0.0.1 youtube.com - which points all youtube.com requests to your local computer, and thus fails
When I need to watch a youtube video on my main computer, I use https:/yewtu.be. It's an alternative, open-source front end for YouTube, with no tracking. It also frequently takes multiple refreshes to actually watch the video, and sometimes doesn't work at all. I consider that a feature, not a bug, because I WANT my youtube consumption to be low.
I have another computer (a really crappy cheap old Chromebook) where I can watch youtube videos, without the complete restriction. I'll do this occasionally in the evenings. It's not a super experience, because it's such a slow, low-powered computer, but hey - I don't want watching youtube to be a super experience.

Thoughts? Other practical tips to avoid going down the video rabbit hole?

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143 sats \ 4 replies \ @BlokchainB 31 May

Any tips with Stacker News Addiction?

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @WeAreAllSatoshi 31 May

Lean into it

But really, screen time limits help

128 sats \ 0 replies \ @flat24 1 Jun

That could be a harmless addiction... so let yourself be carried away by SN.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 OP 31 May

Ha ha! I actually use the browser extension that I vibe coded, to help with that. It makes me solve a little math problem, before I open a new tab. Helps a lot! #989313

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @TNStacker 31 May

No such thing!

33 sats \ 0 replies \ @south_korea_ln 1 Jun

I got rid of view history and recommendations. I just get the search bar when opening youtube. Unless i have a clear idea about what to watch, I will just end up closing it again.

34 sats \ 0 replies \ @TheBTCManual 1 Jun

Wow Yewtu.be search is crazy good, I was searching for some javascript tutorials and the results are so much better than standard YT SERPs recommending me all sorts of nonsense

I admit i've had my YouTube addition, after shutting down my other socials but they usually come in waves, like if I have a topic I want to learn alot about, I just fall down that rabbit hole until I find that the content becomes repetitive and then i'm like okay I guess thats it, time to move on

I think if you're just using it for general entertainment, then its hard to kick. I know there are plugins you can add to a chromium browser that will stop your watch time too, maybe that helps some people but really the answer is to shut down the device lol

114 sats \ 2 replies \ @cristaiji 31 May

I'm using an app called Newpipe on CalyxOS which is totally customisable. For example it can only show videos from channels that you are subscribed to which reduces the addictive tendency to mindlessly click on other content.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Signal312 OP 31 May

Interesting, thanks.

Does that one have the same issues as yewtu.be? In other words, YouTube is actively trying to shut it down, so it only works after multiple tries?

34 sats \ 0 replies \ @cristaiji 31 May

I’ve only used it for about a week but so far it’s been excellent. No ads and you can download vids also.

34 sats \ 0 replies \ @3a42879d5f 1 Jun

I use and recommend DeArrow and SponsorBlock browser extensions. DeArrow makes video titles and thumbnails more truthful and frankly, more boring. It removes sensational thumbnails meant to entice and get you to click. I find myself watching less youtube because of it.

SponsorBlock blocks more than just ads-- it can block redundant previews/hooks that are meant to grab people's attention at the start of the video, as well as intermissions or intro animations. It can even help skip filler tangents and jokes. Overall, it saves me time.

Both extensions are from https://ajay.app/. Keep in mind there is a small learning curve and they take a little getting used to. Also YouTube just updated their site a few days ago which broke both extensions. So if you're thinking of trying, you might have to wait a few days until the extension maintainer gets them running again.

39 sats \ 1 reply \ @LibertasBR 31 May

I used to have that same “addiction,” and fixing it was actually pretty easy. I completely removed the app and now only access it through a browser, without logging in, using one of the available third-party sites. I only watch videos I genuinely remember are worth it—like a researcher who uploads daily videos about the historical study and translation of ancient books. If I don’t remember anything else to watch, it’s because it was completely useless.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 OP 31 May

Which is your favorite third party site?

129 sats \ 1 reply \ @k00b 31 May

*Addiction

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 OP 31 May

aha - thanks!

34 sats \ 0 replies \ @villawolf 31 May

What a great idea, really. I hadn't realized how many hours a day I spend glued to YouTube until I read this. Thanks for sharing your approach; you've inspired me to rethink my own digital habits.

34 sats \ 1 reply \ @rootmachine 31 May

OK. You are doing some great work in avoiding this. Keep it up! If you have smart TVs around the house remove the YouTube app from the TV. As a tip: on phone you could also use parental control to manage your screen time on any app that goes along with video addiction.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 OP 31 May

I just removed Youtube completely on my phone. That's possible with Graphene OS, not sure about stock android.

I've actually experimented a little with parental control. My conclusion is that it's deliberately made clunky and hard to use, to prevent parents from being able to easily use it.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @OT 1 Jun

I generally stay off it, but it works pretty well with Brave browsers add blocker. I manually delete the tracking data too (if I remember).

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined 31 May

I've tried to just deprioritize YouTube, by first seeing if the same thing I'm looking for or a near enough substitute is on Fountain or Rumble or Zap.Stream. None of those feed me a bunch of stuff I don't want to be watching and I have no difficulty limiting consumption.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @nout 31 May

#29648