# Unsubscribed from all clickbait YouTube channels and mental health has improved 😌 **URL:** https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/unsubscribed-from-all-clickbait-youtube-channels-and-mental-health-has-improved/38829 **Category:** Off Topic **Tags:** video **Created:** 2026-06-27T09:45:58Z **Posts:** 31 ## Post 1 by @anonymous621 — 2026-06-27T09:45:58Z A while back I deleted all my social media accounts… except for YouTube. So I did a thing the other day and unsubscribed from every YouTube channel with click-bait titles and thumbnails. The core pattern is promising value while withholding specifics, forcing a watch to fill the information gap… and then delivering very little or nothing of value. I can tell you now that just in the last few days since what I call the “Big Channel Purge,” my mental health has improved significantly. It’s like a cloud has lifted and I’m starting to think more clearly and positively. I use and pay to support Futo’s Grayjay app and have disabled the Home tab. I also have DeArrow enabled. Besides the comedy channels I subscribe to :upside_down_face:, my Subscriptions tab now only contains a feed from curated channels that use short and honest descriptive titles so I can easily tell whether something is relevant to me or not. No more fake suspense. I know there is a filter to hide YouTube Shorts (which I also already have enabled), but it’s got me thinking of writing a script or creating a filter to block content with click-bait titles. Is there anything like this that already exists? Anyone else done something similar and purged click-bait content? What strategies have you used? Have you noticed an improvement in your overall mental health? --- ## Post 2 by @Bhaelros — 2026-06-27T11:05:24Z I am only following some Japanese walking channels, plus 1-2 language channels. For the rest I am doing manual search when I need to watch something. I am not liking or subscribing to anything else. My history is also purged regularly. --- ## Post 3 by @anon92947183 — 2026-06-27T13:54:35Z > [@anonymous621](#): > > Anyone else done something similar and purged click-bait content? What strategies have you used? I haven’t had ‘social’ media for nearly a decade now. There is nothing social about it. I also don’t have YouTube and have blocked it entirely. > [@anonymous621](#): > > Have you noticed an improvement in your overall mental health? I guess so, from memory. I’m not interested in ‘social’ media because humans are meant to be social and ‘social’ media isn’t social. I socialise with real people, maintain my privacy and don’t have to listen to people with blue hair preach to all and sundry about how everyone should be living their lives or updating us on how they find everything offensive. So: yes. I guess. Ignorance is bliss. --- ## Post 4 by @Julie — 2026-06-27T14:23:31Z Youtube, instagram, reddit… are source of anxiety and depression for many people. That’s why I prefer to collaborate on this forum, where there less toxicity. --- ## Post 5 by @Julie — 2026-06-27T14:25:50Z I would not call it ignorance. It more about choosing to listen-watch people with signifiance. Not ignorance, for but rather resistance to algorigthm and stupid influencers trying to brainwash me :grinning_face: --- ## Post 6 by @anon67953901 — 2026-06-27T15:47:01Z It’s crazy the quality difference in comments on mainstream sites vs forums like this and HN. I am almost always disappointed with comments on YouTube or Reddit. I don’t think the people commenting are somehow less smart, it’s just that the platforms influence effort, manners, and what gets rewarded heavily. --- ## Post 7 by @anon92947183 — 2026-06-27T19:41:42Z > [@anon67953901](#): > > comments on YouTube or Reddit This also extends to comments online in other factions. Even the national and local newspapers. They aren’t necessary and should be turned off for all, not just selectively. Of course, they won’t, because it creates clickbait. If anyone wants to live a normal life, do not use ‘social’ media. This includes the likes of YouTube. I’d like to say “pick up a newspaper” (in the traditional sense), but when you come to learn the level of political slant and outright false information, you’re better off getting your ‘news’ from non mainstream, foreign outlets. --- ## Post 8 by @DucksLive — 2026-06-27T20:34:23Z Solid move The only ‘influencer’ I’m watching on YT is that guy with 200 views in 8 years, showing me where the damn secret screw holding my cabin air filter in place under the dash is, saving me 20 more minutes and further leg cramps trying to contort into that position. THAT guy is the one who deserves to make a few bucks off his YouTube For those big ‘influencers’ I only know thru references elsewhere & here like PuttyPie or whoever, who needs them. IMHO, they contribute nothing worthwhile to society. Myself not feeding them with views & subscription? Priceless --- ## Post 9 by @sizing387 — 2026-06-27T21:08:13Z **My history** I have made similar experiences as you. I used to spend far too much time on random YouTube videos or channels that I followed. It wasted so much of my time and in hindsight didn’t give me any value. I would say my time spent there was approaching a concerning/problematic level. That said, I have never really watched or used any other streaming services, TV or social media. Still, at some point I wanted to reduce my time on YouTube and started to make multiple “channel purges”, where I would review and clean up my subscriptions. I noticed small improvements, similar to those you described, but honestly after a few weeks I was back at the point where I started. I have thought about quitting YouTube completely, and I admire people who have the willpower and discipline to follow this through. However, unlike seemingly many people here, I think that it is okay to keep it. To me there are definitely some channels and videos that bring me real value. So, after a lot of experimenting I have found a strategy that works well for me: **My strategy** - Most important: Keep the UI minimal. Hide all kinds of YouTube recommendations (this includes shorts page). Only watch subscribed channels or “on-demand”, where you explicitly have to search for a specific video or channel when you have actually have the need or time for it. - Subscribe only to channels that bring real value, i.e. quality channels that teach you something you want to learn, broaden your horizon, news channels, introduce you to a hobby you want to start, or motivate you. All comedy, entertainment, gaming, clickbait channels or channels that uploaded too often, with too low quality or with to many ads were purged from my subscription list. Sometimes you have to really differentiate and be strict, because on the surface some channels/videos look and feel like they are educational, but when think about it, it’s actually just entertainment. - Continue to regularly clean your subscriptions list and keep overall subscription count low. By now, I am at about 30 subscriptions from which about half are only bookmarks of inactive channels I want to “save for later”. **Tool recommendations** _Disclaimer: The tools I am about to recommend might not necessarily always be the best option privacy-/security-wise (especially the browser extensions). Use at your own risk, according to your threat model._ On android, the app that I can recommend most for this is [LibreTube](https://libretube.dev/). It lets you hide everything except the subscription page and even includes Sponsorblock, optionally DeArrow. You can choose if you want to connect to official YouTube servers or specify a Piped instance. Also, it has an integrated video/audio downloader, but you can also change it to an external downloader like [YTDLnis](https://github.com/deniscerri/ytdlnis) (which I can also recommend). On the desktop, I don’t have found a “perfect” solution for me yet. A good tool is, [FreeTube](https://freetubeapp.io/). I think it has similar features to LibreTube, however the UI feels a bit clunky for me. Additionally, there are terminal UIs, like [YouTube TUI](https://tui.siri.ws/youtube/index.html), which I think are very interesting but I haven’t really tried them out yet. For watching videos in the browser on the official YouTube website, I can recommend the following extensions: - [uBlock Origin](https://ublockorigin.com/) (obviously, blocks youtube ads) - [RYS - Remove YouTube Suggestions](https://lawrencehook.com/rys/) (to customize UI and hide all recommendations) (note: recently it introduced some non-free features, might need to look for replacement) - [Sponsorblock](https://sponsor.ajay.app/) (blocks sponsor, intro, outro, filler video segments based on crowdsourced time-stamps) Personally I don’t have a need for [DeArrow](https://dearrow.ajay.app/), since I already cleaned my subscription list accordingly. In the past, I have also experimented with creating filters or blocking of channels with [BlockTube](https://github.com/amitbl/blocktube), but I realized that it is nothing for me. The tool works fine, but I think it is too time consuming to maintain your lists and it will still always be prone to errors, it reduces load speed and it’s simply not necessary, if you just hide everything you don’t subscribed to. --- ## Post 10 by @nubeovejita27 — 2026-06-28T13:47:56Z A low-tech thing that helps is separating “subscriptions” from “recommendations”. I like keeping a small list of channels I deliberately chose, then opening YouTube only from that list or from search. It is less clever than a filter, but for a household it is easier to maintain: if the home feed and Shorts are not part of the routine, there is much less to fight against. --- ## Post 11 by @Script1743 — 2026-06-28T17:43:43Z Yes, that’s good, I used to have my self hosted RSS reader track my YouTube subscriptions. Nice to have all sources of news delivered into one central place. --- ## Post 12 by @null — 2026-06-28T20:29:37Z Maybe I should unsubscribe too a few channels. :melting_face: nah I’m not addicted. ![Screenshot_20260628-222651_1](https://forum-uploads.privacyguidesusercontent.com/original/3X/5/d/5d9d6e111c983ae80b31d3ba0847fbf739457ec5.png) --- ## Post 13 by @anon4006304 — 2026-06-28T21:15:28Z > [@anonymous621](#): > > What strategies have you used? Have you noticed an improvement in your overall mental health? What I do is apply filters based on known patterns at different levels. For example: if I’m reading something I already know, I read it fast or skip it, saving time without it affecting my mindset. If I enter unknown territory and it catches my attention, I start thinking and make a decision based on the context, the situation, the time, and what’s involved. If it’s viable, I go in; if not, I just keep moving, depending on the situation. **This applies** to YouTube, Reddit, etc. How does it help you? It saves time—you no longer read or listen to the same stuff because you know it by heart (unless you want to read or listen through those moments since sometimes you might overlook something, no matter how small). You skip the noise, you go straight to what you’re looking for or want (if applicable), you don’t stress out or get nervous, and overall, it doesn’t take a toll on your health. Here are two examples: **1. In real life:** They’re watching you with street cameras, I just act normal and don’t stress about it. **2. On the internet:** There’s a lot of noise on Reddit, I look for what catches my eye and observe. If there’s something valuable to take, I take it; if not, I walk away empty-handed. No problem. --- ## Post 14 by @anon67953901 — 2026-06-28T22:57:54Z I used to watch a lot of videos, but recently I find that they’re so long to get to the point when an article lets you determine its quality faster. It’s still good for entertainment, just not the best for information. --- ## Post 15 by @FranklyFlawless — 2026-06-29T05:18:20Z > [@anonymous621](#): > > What strategies have you used? Not creating any YouTube account to begin with. > [@anonymous621](#): > > Have you noticed an improvement in your overall mental health? The existence of YouTube does not change my state of mental health, regardless of whether I and/or others use it or not. It carries very little weight, so there is little weight dropping it entirely as well. --- ## Post 16 by @anon73838 — 2026-06-29T16:23:00Z I experimented with FreeTube, LibreTube, NewPipe, Invidious accounts, DFtube (Firefox extension). I like the local subscription model as opposed to a YT account, and alternative frontends to filter out the clickbait and unnecessary recommendations. But I found that still I ended up wasting too much time on YT. I just got rid of subscriptions completely. I figure if a channel is important enough for me, I will remember about it and look it up when I want to do that. Then I use one of those alternatives frontends/extensions when I do want to access YT. Same with RSS, I like the model but ultimately it turns into a list of stuff I feel compelled to review and/or a distraction. --- ## Post 17 by @Rambutan — 2026-06-30T20:22:51Z Since I mostly watch YT on the phone in the browser, could someone tell me if its possible to block certain channels or types of content there? --- ## Post 18 by @Average_Joe — 2026-07-01T15:31:35Z > [@anonymous621](#): > > A while back I deleted all my social media accounts… except for YouTube. So I did a thing the other day and unsubscribed from every YouTube channel with click-bait titles and thumbnails. This sounds like a great idea! --- ## Post 19 by @user77 — 2026-07-02T19:48:13Z > [@anon73838](#): > > Same with RSS, I like the model but ultimately it turns into a list of stuff I feel compelled to review and/or a distraction. I have a similar problem. Right now, I have 357 items to read/watch and 311 of them are from [lobste.rs](https://lobste.rs). --- ## Post 20 by @anonymous643 — 2026-07-02T20:58:01Z > [@FranklyFlawless](#): > > ![](https://forum-cdn.privacyguides.net/user_avatar/discuss.privacyguides.net/anonymous621/48/11846_2.png) anonymous621: > > > What strategies have you used? > > Not creating any YouTube account to begin with. The good thing about YouTube is that it has an inbuilt consumer protection for us. The one time I tried to create a YouTube account, it wouldn’t let me because the way I tried it revealed to less PII so YouTube asked me to verify via their stupid SMS QR code verification. Of course, I refused to do that. --- ## Post 21 by @ImTooPhaT — 2026-07-05T11:08:59Z I stopped watching YouTube on YouTube since I found out about FreeTube and NewPipe + Brave mobile. My subscriptions are on my RSS reader now and I turn off shorts and recommended videos. When FreeTube or NewPipe stops working, I’ll go on YouTube on Brave or Mullvad until there’s an update. Some creators I follow do make content that caters to the algorithm, but I don’t think that’s the same as clickbait. I follow creators I watch regularly and unsubscribe from creators if I haven’t watched any of their content in over 6 months. You can pretty much tell when creators are making clickbait or ragebait content because their videos are frequently recommended on YouTube to maximise engagement. I do manual searches for new creators I want to follow to avoid these types of creators. It has improved my mental health significantly as I feel more in control over the content I watch and I’m not on the platform for longer than I wanted to. And if I find myself watching too much YouTube, I just clear my RSS feed to stop myself from watching more content. I’m still trying to find strategies that can further reduce my watch time (e.g. watching gaming-related content today, tech-related content tomorrow, etc.), but overall, I’m happy with my current strategy. --- ## Post 22 by @anonymous643 — 2026-07-05T12:11:11Z Would you mind sharing the channel? --- ## Post 23 by @anon67953901 — 2026-07-05T16:30:23Z Odysee has surprisingly good amount of good creators when I checked it out. --- ## Post 24 by @null — 2026-07-05T17:23:43Z Their app also started to get regular updates on F-Driod. --- ## Post 25 by @anonymous647 — 2026-07-08T02:33:32Z What exactly did you purge? It’s not really clear to me. Edit: What i mean is, which algorithmic niches did you follow? > [@anonymous621](#): > > my Subscriptions tab now only contains a feed from curated channels that use short and honest descriptive titles so I can easily tell whether something is relevant to me or not. No more fake suspense. --- ## Post 26 by @Average_Joe — 2026-07-22T18:51:14Z > [@ImTooPhaT](#): > > has improved my mental health significantly as I feel more in control over the content I watch and I’m not on the platform for longer than I wanted to. A I appreciate your reply! One huge problem I’m having is that YouTube keeps recommending me useless videos that are just designed to be click bait with titles like “Man fights off killer shark” or “Man attacked by a wild dog!” I really can’t handle it anymore. In the past YouTube used to be so much better… --- ## Post 27 by @sizing387 — 2026-07-22T21:36:07Z Yeah, I agree this is really annoying and can be a massive time sink. However, in case you haven’t seen it yet: in [my reply above](https://discuss.privacyguides.net/In%20https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/unsubscribed-from-all-clickbait-youtube-channels-and-mental-health-has-improved/38829/9) I linked to several tools that solve exactly this - at least for YouTube. --- ## Post 28 by @ImTooPhaT — 2026-07-23T01:01:08Z On the frontend apps, you have more control over the content you watch. Try disabling recommended videos so that you only see what’s on your subscription feed. If you need to go to YouTube, the same option can be found on Brave mobile. On my PC, I use Mullvad for YouTube as Mullvad shows me a fresh YouTube page every session. For blocking recommended content, I would probably create a new browser profile on Firefox or Brave just for YouTube and install Unhook extension. I don’t prefer the extension method, but any method that reduces exposure to content algorithms is worth trying. --- ## Post 29 by @kabob3801 — 2026-07-23T12:23:50Z I use YouTube in the browser without an account, and my browser deletes all cookies/site data when it’s closed. So there’s never an opportunity to curate an ‘algorithm’ . I have a list of channels in my head that I like to watch so I just manually search those when I’m on the browser. On the phone I use newpipe and I also have Freetube on the desktop (when Freetube breaks I use the browser). Those both have all my subscribtions. Biggest benefit is the content that loads is just from the channels I pick. Not a cursted list of bs I guess the biggest benefit is really the lack of ads and tracking though :slight_smile: --- ## Post 31 by @dataSamurai — 2026-07-27T13:28:16Z Please quote specific parts of the comment you’re replying to. > [@Marijaa](#): > > Clickbait is cognitive spam. That’s why personally I use RSS Guard with specifically selected sources. Takes about half an hour and it’s soooo worth it!