Jesse Waits finally realized his relationship with social media stank like his socks after a workout. Having kicked a previous pot addiction, the 39-year-old tech-guru from Cincinnati saw the stench from the socials and decided enough was enough. He gave Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter the boot, and ever since, Waits feels cheerier and more in the moment. Still, some folks can’t help but stick their noses up and sarcastically rain on his parade.

Even though heaps of people in the US moan and groan about how social media feels like the monster under their bed, you’d need much more than a crowbar to pry them off it. The Washington Post reports that 64% of US adults reckon social media is wreaking havoc. But 72% have at least one account anyway. For some, the cons of social media hit like a sledgehammer, making them want to hightail outta there for good. And, just like giving up a favorite snack, it turns out that quitting isn’t always a piece of cake.

When Thomas, a 28-year-old teacher from Cleveland, threw social media out of the window, people couldn’t help but bombard him with questions. But when they asked this self-confessed scroller if he’s content, he didn’t think twice before firing back a “HELL YES!” It wasn’t just his need to hit the pillow earlier that drove him to ditch the socials, but a gut-feeling that he just wasn’t happy nibbling on the news and pics his pals posted.

Deleting social media isn’t a clean break for everyone, though. Sadia Naseem, a 29-year-old engineer, didn’t use Facebook, Twitter or Insta for years – until she got her first big-girl job at Texas Instruments. The thrill of adulting made her want to spill the beans online, but when she sat down to share, she realized it felt like more of a drag than she’d bargained for.

Katie Gammelgard, a 43-year-old high school teacher, felt like she was on a never-ending rollercoaster of judgment as she scrolled through her feeds. She finally pulled the plug on her social media addiction when she realized it left her feeling bluer than her kids on a school morning.

But Professor Jordan Shapiro from Temple University points out that we’ve been judging each other since the dawn of time, even before social media stepped onto the scene. So sure, some people may feel like they don’t want to dip their toes into the online pool, but that doesn’t mean our society’s problems will magically vanish, he says.

For Waits, though, there’s no turning back. Once you’ve closed the door to the “parallel world” of social media, it’s much easier to focus on the real world. And he’s happy to stay put in this newfound territory where the grass smells even greener.