I grew up with social media.
Now I'm building a way out of it.

Hey, I'm Riley. I'm 23, I live in Austin, Texas, and I've been on social media for over half my life.

I got my first smartphone in middle school. By high school, I was spending 4-5 hours a day on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. I didn't think anything of it — everyone I knew was doing the same thing. It was just what you did.

But at some point, I started noticing something. The hours I spent scrolling weren't making me feel better. They were making me feel worse. More anxious. More distracted. Less present with the people actually in front of me. I'd pick up my phone to check one notification and look up 45 minutes later wondering where the time went.

I tried setting Screen Time limits. I'd blow past them every time — just hit "Ignore Limit" and keep scrolling. I tried deleting apps. I'd re-download them within a day. I tried willpower. Willpower doesn't work when you're tired, bored, or stressed — which is exactly when you reach for your phone.

What finally worked was having something real to gain. Not guilt. Not restriction. Not a lecture about dopamine. An actual reason to put my phone down — something I could see, feel, and benefit from in the real world.

That's the idea behind Spend Life Living. Instead of punishing you for using your phone too much, we reward you for using it less. Reduce your social media screen time, sustain it, and unlock real discounts and experiences from local businesses in your city.

The research backs this up. Anxiety among young people has increased 134% since 2010. The U.S. Surgeon General has called social media an urgent public health threat for youth. The average teenager spends over 4.5 hours a day on social media. We all know this is a problem — but knowing it's a problem hasn't been enough to change behavior. We need better incentives, not more information.

I'm not anti-technology. I'm not anti-social media. I'm building this because I believe our generation deserves tools that help us use technology intentionally, not compulsively. And I believe the best way to change a habit isn't to fight it — it's to make the alternative more rewarding.

We're starting in Austin, Texas — my home — with a pilot program and a small group of local business partners who believe in this mission. If this resonates with you, I'd love for you to be part of it.