I'm trying to be more data-conscious these days, both to cut down on my cell phone bill and to rein in my own bad habits (a.k.a. my Instagram addiction). So how much data do I really dedicate to doomscrolling?
- On a typical day, my Instagram scrolling uses about 904MB, or almost 1GB of data. At that pace, I'm looking at around 27GB of data per month—on a single app.
For this test, I tracked how much mobile data I use on a normal day of scrolling from 7 a.m. until about midnight. I disconnected from Wi-Fi the whole time, so all of my scrolling showed up in my mobile data.
What's worse is the fact that I don't sit down for long scrolling sessions. I open Instagram for a few minutes, close it, and come back later. But Niagara Launcher (the Android app organizer I use) now lists Instagram as one of my favorite apps because I open it so often—and that's concerning.
Check your own data usage today
You can check your data usage in your phone's settings on both iPhone and Android, and both show a breakdown by app. That per-app list is where I found my Instagram number.
How much data do I (a zillennial social media follower) use on scrolling?
I used 22.60GB of mobile data on Instagram between October 16 and November 9. That breaks down to 904MB of data per day on scrolling alone. Over a full month, that's around 27GB–28GB, give or take one extra day depending on how many days the month has.
Instagram took up almost a third of all my mobile data in a month.
My phone logged 71.38GB of total mobile data used from October 12 to November 9, and 22.6GB of that went to Instagram. The only other app that came close to my Instagram usage was Discord, and that's because I use it to video call my family.
Image: Jessica Santero | WhistleOut
What data does Instagram use in the background?
My phone also splits Instagram's data into two categories: foreground and background. Foreground data is what Instagram uses while the app is open on your screen, and background data is what it uses while it's closed, such as refreshing your feed or loading notifications. Out of my 22.60GB, 21.63GB was foreground data, and only 0.96GB was background data.
About 96% of my Instagram data came from me scrolling with the app open, so I can't blame the app for using data behind my back.
Image: Jessica Santero | WhistleOut
But how much time do I waste on Instagram?
My Instagram data and time breakdown
| Time period | Instagram data | Estimated time on Instagram |
|---|---|---|
| Per day | About 904MB | About 1 hour, 15 minutes |
| Per week | About 6.3GB | About 8 hours, 47 minutes |
| Per month (30 days) | About 27.1GB | About 37 hours, 40 minutes |
| Per year | About 330GB | About 458 hours, or 19 days |
At this pace, I'd spend about 19 full days a year scrolling Instagram. That's almost three weeks of my year on one app.
WhistleOut's own data tests help put that in perspective. In our tests, we consistently burned through 60MB in around five minutes, which works out to be 720MB an hour. At that rate, 904MB a day equals about an hour and 15 minutes of Instagram every day.
The fact I'm unconsciously using Instagram so much is frightening.
There's no way, right? Six scroll breaks of a few minutes each would never reach 75 minutes, so either my breaks run closer to 12 minutes apiece, or I'm opening the app more often than I noticed.
My scrolling habits on my phone
For me, doomscrolling means quick, repeated trips into an endless feed, and Instagram is the only app on my phone that fits that description—I already deleted TikTok. YouTube and other long-form apps don't fall into this category for me. I use Instagram almost exclusively for crochet inspiration and, honestly, scrolling through recipes.
My scroll breaks follow a predictable pattern on a typical day. I scroll mid-morning with my cup of coffee, again while my lunch is cooking, and again when it finishes. I take another break on the couch, one more while I wait for a friend in the park, and a final scroll before bed.
I can't tell you how many minutes that adds up to, since each break is a quick open, scroll, and close. That's what makes the habit so sneaky (and dangerous).
What restrictions can I use to scroll less?
Screen time limits work well enough for Instagram, but they didn't work for TikTok (at least in my case). Deleting the app was the only fix that stuck, and I don't miss it.
If you need help setting up your own limits, check out WhistleOut guides to setting screen time limits on iPhone and the best apps to manage your screen time, which also covers Android's built-in limits.
But if you're constantly bypassing your own limits, Shift is the best solution because it doesn't have an ignore button.
What are the best phone plans for heavy Instagram scrollers?
The best plans for heavy Instagram scrollers are unlimited plans with at least 20GB of premium data per month. If you're like me, with a substantial Instagram habit and not always on Wi-Fi, that premium data is necessary.
Premium data is high-speed data that gets priority when the network is busy, and anything past that limit is too slow to even load an Instagram video. In my experience, the ads will load, but you can't watch any of the content.
My own scrolling works out to around 27GB a month, so I'd aim for 30GB or more.
- Boost Mobile Unlimited is the closest match and includes 30GB of premium high-speed data.
- Mint Mobile Unlimited gives you more premium data just in case you need it. You can also get cheaper service by paying for a full year upfront. Mint Unlimited includes 50GB of premium data and 20GB of hotspot.
I recommend an unlimited plan, but make sure to check your total data usage before you pick a capped plan. For more options, see WhistleOut's guides to the cheapest unlimited data plans and the best cheap cell phone plans.
Which cell phone plan do I use?
I use Visible, and I love it. I'm on Visible's base plan, but I would recommend upgrading to Visible's Visible+ plan. Visible offers three plans at three different prices. There's the base plan for $25/month, Visible+ for $35/month (which includes premium data), and the Visible+ Pro plan (with a faster hotspot). All of Visible's plans work on Verizon's network, which happens to be very reliable.
Jessica Santero
Staff Writer
Thousands of cell phone plans unpacked. All the facts. No surprises.
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