How to Reset Your Social Media Feed

Many of us will be familiar with opening up Instagram to reply to someone and then having a look at Reels, Profiles etc.

Over time you may find that your recommendations begin to change. So you end up watching videos that you’d prefer not to and getting drawn into your feed.

This can be particularly frustrating if you are trying to cut down on pornography or sexual triggers. Whilst you are making an effort to change your habits, there may still be some inappropriate content showing up.

Often there are a number of different ways to reset and improve your social media feed. This can include changing your recommendations, looking at your settings and making some minor changes to your daily routine.

If you want to reset your social media feed, start with the recommendation and content preference tools available on the platforms you use.

Whilst you might not be able to fully control what you are seeing in your feed, there are ways to make your online experience more manageable.

How to Reset Your Social Media Feed

Social media feeds use recommendations to try and guess what you will want to watch, read and engage with.

They often use different signals to personalise your recommendations such as likes, comments, searches, following and watching. Depending on the service you are using, the signals will vary slightly.

For example, you might watch a suggestive video because it caught your eye. You then watch another video similar to it out of curiosity. This means some of your activity may be seen by a recommendation system as you wanting similar content.

Whilst this doesn’t mean that you will be recommended content forever, it helps to give you some insight as to why you may be seeing content.

TikTok explains that their recommendations use user engagement, video information and other factors. You can also use tools to show you’re not interested in certain content.

This means that your recommendations aren’t necessarily set in stone.

Start by looking at the settings you have.

1. Avoid Engaging With Content

When you see something you don’t want to be recommended, you don’t need to look into it.

Simply close the video and use the tools provided.

Depending on the situation you can:

Skip videos showing content you don’t want to watch.

Don’t like, comment or share content you don’t want.

Stop following profiles showing you content.

Don’t search for similar content.

Use tools such as ‘Not Interested’.

Don’t panic if you have watched the video, one interaction won’t ruin your progress.

The goal is to try to avoid engaging with this content multiple times.

Over time by using these tools and recommendation settings, your feed will become more aligned to what you want to see.

2. Adjust Your Settings

Most major social media platforms will have some sort of recommendation tool, blocking tool or content preference.

Depending on the platform, there will be a range of tools available. These can also change depending on app updates.

How to reset your Instagram recommendations

Instagram has a tool called ‘Reset suggested content’ which is available for eligible users.

To find this on the Instagram app:

Open up Instagram and click on your profile.

Click on the 3 line menu in the top right.

Click on Content Preferences.

Click on Reset suggested content (if available).

Follow the on-screen instructions.

This will reset your suggested content across your Explore, Reels and Feed. Your recommendations will then become personalised based on your activity.

You can also look at the profiles you are following and unfollow those who aren’t suitable.

Use the ‘Not Interested’ tool for individual recommendations. You can also look at your sensitive content settings.

For more details, see Instagram’s official guide: Reshape Your Instagram With a Recommendations Reset.

How to reset your TikTok feed

TikTok has several tools to help you manage your For You feed.

Depending on your app version and country, you may be able to:

Click ‘Not interested’ on videos you don’t want.

Reset your For You feed.

Use filters for specific words/hashtags.

Change your content preferences.

Unfollow accounts showing you content.

To find these settings, open your profile and click on Settings and Privacy. Click on Content Preferences.

The reset tool will give you a fresh start for your For You recommendations. Your recommendations will then be shaped by your engagement.

For more details, see TikTok’s official guide: How TikTok Recommends Content.

How to manage your YouTube recommendations

YouTube has tools to help you give feedback on your recommendations.

Depending on where the video is, you may be able to click ‘Not interested’ or ‘Don’t recommend channel’.

You can also look at your history by going into your account settings.

These can help you manage your recommendations but aren’t guaranteed to remove all similar content.

For more details, see YouTube Help: Manage Your Recommendations and Search Results.

Remember this is not the same as resetting your recommendations. It simply resets some recommendations. Using filters and feedback tools will help to manage specific content.

3. Look At Your Search And Watching History

Some platforms will use your previous activity to shape your recommendations. If you are continually seeing content you don’t want, it may be worth looking at your history.

Open up the activity/history settings for the relevant app.

Look at:

Recent searches and watching history.

If available, delete specific items from your history.

Look at if you can pause or adjust your watching/searching history.

Look at any recommendation/personalisation tools.

Use the app in a way that aligns with your preferences.

Remember that clearing your history won’t necessarily remove all the signals that are being used to personalise your recommendations. They may use other signals such as engagement, account preferences and contextual information.

Also don’t worry about deleting all your history if you’ve only seen one video you don’t want.

Focus on making changes that are relevant to your situation.

4. Change What You See In Your Feed

Once you’ve removed the content you don’t want to be recommended, you need to think about what you would like to see.

Think about what interests you.

Maybe you like fitness, music, travelling, cooking, photography, technology or educational content.

Start following profiles that regularly post content that you find useful or enjoyable. Save posts you want to come back to. Use the feedback tools to show what you want to see.

Unfollow/mute profiles that continually show you content you don’t want.

You don’t need to make your social media experience productive. It’s totally fine to use social media for entertainment and to relax.

The goal is to make your feed more aligned to your interests.

5. Be Aware Of When You Scroll

Sometimes your issue isn’t what you’re seeing, but when you’re seeing it.

Think about:

Do you often scroll late at night when you’re tired? Do you often open up social media when you’re bored? Do you often open up social media when you’re stressed? Do you often keep watching videos because you don’t know what else to do?

By being aware of this you can make some changes.

If you are scrolling late at night – Set a time to put your phone down before bed.

If you open up social media because you’re bored – Decide what you’re going to do instead.

If you’re scrolling because you’re stressed – Have a short walk, listen to some music or write down what is worrying you.

If you’re continually seeing content you don’t want in a specific app – Limit how much you use it each day or remove it from your home screen.

This isn’t about removing all the uncomfortable feelings, but giving yourself more options.

If you are noticing a pattern with specific content, this can be a good starting point.

6. Be More Intentional With Your Social Media

Have you ever opened up an app to check a notification and found that you’ve been scrolling for much longer than intended?

Apps often have infinite scrolling, auto play and notifications which can make it easy to keep scrolling.

Some simple changes can help.

Know why you’re opening the app.

Decide what you want to do before clicking on the icon. Maybe you need to reply to a message, check an update or watch a video. Once you’ve done this, close the app.

Limit how long you spend.

Decide how long you want to spend on the app.

Use a timer, screen time tools or in-app limits to help you become aware if you’re spending longer than intended.

Turn off unnecessary notifications.

Only keep notifications that are useful. Turn off notifications that continually draw you into the app.

Have screen free times. You can also explore these tips for unplugging from social media for more ideas.

If you are continually scrolling and it’s affecting your sleep, eating, work or time with others – Have some screen free times.

These don’t need to be complicated. Simple changes can help you become aware of when you’re intentionally using social media.

7. Use Additional Tools

If you’re trying to cut down on pornography, changing your social media feed may help reduce the amount of unwanted content you’re seeing. However, it may not cover all situations.

Depending on your needs, you may want to:

Use filters or block sites. Limit your apps. Keep your phone out of your bedroom. Unfollow profiles.

Identify alternative activities.

Tools such as BlockerX may help.

How effective they are will depend on how you set them up, the content you want to limit and what platforms/devices you’re using. They shouldn’t be seen as a guarantee that you won’t see any unwanted content.

Remember that changing your habits often involves more than installing an app. Understanding your triggers, making changes to your routine and creating alternative responses can help to make your digital life more manageable.

Pick tools that will help you achieve your goals without making your daily routine too difficult. You may also find these digital fasting tips useful when setting boundaries around technology.

What If I’m Still Seeing Unwanted Content?

You’ve made changes to your settings, unfollowed profiles and changed your scrolling behaviour. However, you’re still seeing unwanted content.

This can be frustrating especially if you are making an effort to change.

Social media recommendations aren’t always accurate. Resetting your recommendations won’t guarantee you’ll have a clean feed. Filters may not pick up all variations of the subject.

Simply close the content and use the feedback tools. Get back onto what you were doing.

Don’t spend the rest of your day analysing one recommendation. Focus on what you can control. How you’re responding, what profiles you are following, how you’re using your phone and what tools you have in place.

If you’re continually seeing the same pattern, look at your settings. Think about if you need to change when/where you’re using the app.

You don’t need a perfectly controlled feed to make progress. Focus on making practical changes to your digital life and responding to it in a more intentional way.

Create A Feed That Helps You Achieve Your Goals

Your social media recommendations can change depending on your activity and preferences. Whilst you can’t fully control all the recommendations, you can influence some aspects of your experience. This can be done by using feedback tools, choosing the right profiles to follow and making changes to your daily routine.

Start by making some simple changes. Look at your recommendations, use the tools to show you’re not interested in certain content, unfollow profiles and create boundaries around your scrolling. These steps can help you reset your social media feed over time.

Give it time to work. Notice what is improving your experience and make changes where needed.

If you’re trying to cut down on pornography or manage your online triggers, remember that one recommendation won’t define how you’re doing. Focus on how you’re responding and that your habits are moving in the right direction for you.

You don’t need a perfect algorithm, you need practical boundaries, a more suitable online experience and the ability to choose what happens next.

FAQ’s

How do I reset my social media feed?

It depends on the platform. Look for recommendations, content preferences and reset tools. Use tools such as ‘Not interested’, look at your watching/searching history and change the profiles you follow.

Can I stop Instagram showing me suggestive content?

Instagram has sensitive content settings and recommendations to help reduce some of the unwanted content. You can also use the ‘Not interested’ tool for individual recommendations and look at the profiles you follow. This can’t guarantee to remove all suggestive content.

Will watching one video affect my recommendations?

It may on some platforms. However, it won’t necessarily affect your whole feed.

Will clearing my watching history reset my recommendations?

Not necessarily. There may be other signals being used. Check what the current settings are on the service. Are there separate recommendations?

Can social media triggers affect my recovery from pornography?

Some people find that they are prompted to look for more sexual content when they see suggestive content. Others don’t. If you notice a pattern, managing your recommendations, using the correct filters and changing your scrolling behaviour may help you stay on track with your personal goals.

Should I delete my social media?

Not everyone will need to. Start by making changes to your recommendations, unfollowing profiles, limiting your usage and identifying when you’re more likely to see unwanted content. If you’re continually finding that a specific platform is causing issues with your goals, it may be worth taking a break.