Why these YouTube stars are nudging users to put their phones down

It is simple to accidentally become entranced by an endless loop of videos on Instagram or YouTube. But sometimes, that mindless scroll is interrupted by a reminder that what you thought was a 10-minute break spent on your phone was closer to 30 minutes.

Olivia Yokubonis, armed with a kind voice and scientific research, often pops up in feeds on social media platforms, gently reminding viewers that they might not remember the video they saw two videos before she appeared on the screen.

Yokubonis is a content creator who goes by the name Olivia Unplugged online, making videos to combat overuse or mindless use of social media. For the most part, people who view her videos welcome the disruption from the endless loop of content, treating it as a wake-up call to get off their phones. Other times, they are snarky.

“People will comment and they’ll be like, ‘Oh, [it’s] ironic that you’re posting.’ And I’m like, ‘Where else am I supposed to find you, Kyle? Outside? You’re not outside. You are here, sitting here,’” says Yokubonis, who is originally from Colorado, in the United States, and is now based in Paris, France. “For us to actually be seen, we have to be where people are.”

Yokubonis’ content responds to the feeling many people have: that they spend too much time on social media or apps.