u/Radzz2200

Yeah, I've been planning a big graduation trip to SEA with one of my friends. I'm planning to go to Thailand for 16 days (9d in Bangkok, 4d in Pattaya, and 3d in CM). When I told both my mom and my dad, they strongly insisted that I cancel this trip altogether.

Because I'm a 2nd generation immigrant from East Asia a lot of news about Chinese and Korean tourists in Thailand being abducted by scam groups are floating around on the internet. I know those stories, but at the same time, there are 35 million tourists in Thailand every year and the chance of something bad happening to people is astronomically low. I'm also a decently experienced solo traveler who went to 22 different countries and know general safety measures, and I also know that no way in hell I'd go to countries such as Myanmar, Ukraine, Israel etc.

As of right now I still want to keep my travel plan, does anyone have safety advice for SEA countries (especially Thailand).

TLDR: I’m 28m and single, but I have zero desire to
have any romantic relationships. And I’m also very aware of many oversea scams happening in some places.

Edit: after watching stuffs about Pattaya I’ve decided to redirect the trip to Phuket, not only does Pattaya feel like a place for passport bro losers who can’t get laid, but Phuket generally felt way better for a beach town.

I've never thought I had a crippling YouTube addiction until now. I used to think that watching YouTube was informational, regardless if it's about history, true crime, politics etc.

But recently I've discovered that YouTube has been just as detrimental as any other social media such as TikTok, Instagram etc. You kept getting recommended ragebaiting political contents and AI slop while you just want to chill out and watch some cat videos.

It's not a coincidence that YouTube's algorithm is masterfully crafted to keep you engaged and scrolling just like any other social media. This is the true f'ed up part.

For me, watching YouTube has gotten so bad it has caused me to develop severe social anxiety. It started to become a serious problem in 2019, when I got very sick and missed many classes at my uni, it caused me to flunk almost every single class. Because of this setback, I began to use YouTube and video games as my retreat.

Things got significantly worse during covid lockdown. At the time, I got kicked out of uni while living off my parents' support without telling them anything. Thankfully, my parents threatened to cut me off and invited me back to home to have a fresh start without abandoning me completely.

Because of this addiction, I flunked out of university twice, had no friends for 4 years besides online chats, and I felt absolute shit about myself.

My solution:

I'm using ScreenZen to limit access to YouTube; I'm only allowed to use YouTube for 10 minutes 6 times per day, and I also cancelled my YouTube Premium subscription. I'm also trying to do more stuff in real life: reading books, hanging out with friends and my parents, starting volunteer work, and building meaningful relationships.

I'm still playing video games on and off, but at the same time, I've significantly reduced my gaming sessions. I only game once I actually have time to relax.

At last, this is going to be my last reddit post for a very long time. I've also noticed that reddit can be very addictive as well, and I seriously don't want to get hooked to another website.

If any of you struggle with social media/internet/news addiction (or any addiction in general), please do not hesitate to seek help. Regardless if you're going to a therapist, support group, there is nothing wrong with getting external support!