So you want to take a Twitter break on Twitter. We all do it. We wake up and check Twitter first thing. We lay in bed late at night and scroll through our timeline to make sure we don’t miss what people are talking about and what’s trending. Before you know it, you could be scrolling for what feels like hours.
With so much happening in the world, all of the breaking news and voices on the platform can sometimes be a little overwhelming. We know the feeling of wanting to stay connected, yet needing to take a step back for your mental health. Luckily with Twitter, we make it easy to take a “break” on Twitter while on Twitter.
All you need to do is tailor your experience! Here’s how:
Topics
Obsessed with certain celebrities, food, or gaming? Topics will make sure you see more of what you like throughout your timeline and in the Explore tab. You might already see some Topics we suggest to you based on your activity. Or, browse through our Topics selector for Topics on Topics on Topics. (Seriously, there’s a lot, and we’re adding more and more.) Simply follow the ones you’re interested in and we’ll take you to your Twitter happy place with a personalized experience of relevant Tweets, events, and ads.
Lists
Build your own timeline with Lists. No, not like a shopping list, it’s a lot more exciting than that. Twitter Lists are curated groups of accounts that create a timeline of Tweets from those accounts added to the List. You can curate your own or follow someone else’s. You can pin up to five Lists as timelines for easy scrolling access. All you need to do is swipe between them. Maybe you only want to scroll through a List of food accounts to bookmark some new recipes you want to try, or a List of people you know in real life only. You have the power to! So get curating and scroll through what inspires you.
Autoplay settings
Give your eyes and mind a break. There’s a lot of shared content on Twitter. And while this makes us a go-to source for breaking news and what people are talking about in the world, it can also be a little overwhelming. Try turning off your autoplay settings. This simple step will stop videos from automatically playing. You’ll only see the video content if you choose to play it.
Mute
Mute is a go-to, classic Twitter feature. Maybe you don’t want to look through Topics or spend time curating Lists. That’s okay! Mute is simple, yet mighty. You can mute an account without unfollowing them if you’d like to avoid seeing their Tweets for a time. Or perhaps it’s certain content that you’d like to avoid on Twitter. That’s easy! In addition to people, you can mute particular words, phrases, usernames, emojis, or hashtags. Plus, it’s easy to unmute from your settings at any time.
Block
We’ve all heard the Twitter joke by now: “Blocked and reported.” Aside from this being cheeky Twitter humor, it’s a simple directive on how to make your Twitter experience better for you. When you need to, block an account to restrict them from following you, seeing your Tweets, and replying to your Tweets while logged in to Twitter. And like mute, you can unblock from your settings if and when you want to.
Protected Tweets
Maybe you still want to be active on Twitter, but not with everyone. By protecting your Tweets, you approve who follows you and sees your Tweets, while turning off Twitter functions like Retweet and sharing your Tweets through DM.
Direct Messages
Do you want to enjoy Twitter, but not so publicly? Share Tweets and talk about what’s happening with a trusted Twitter friend or group through your DMs. You can even share a fun GIF or two…or six.
