"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full."
— Matthew 6:16
Quick Answer
Christians may fast from social media or entertainment during Lent as a meaningful way to create space for prayer and repentance, though Scripture never commands observing Lent itself (Colossians 2:16-17). What matters most is the heart behind it, humbly seeking God rather than performing a religious routine.
What Lent Is, and What It Isn’t
Lent is the traditional forty-day season leading up to Easter, observed by many churches as a time of repentance, reflection, and preparation for celebrating the resurrection. It is not commanded anywhere in Scripture; it developed as a church tradition in the centuries after the apostles, modeled loosely on Jesus’s forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-2). That does not make it wrong to observe, but it does mean it falls into the category of disputable matters rather than direct biblical command (Romans 14:5-6).
Because Lent is a tradition rather than a command, no Christian is obligated to observe it, and no Christian should look down on another for either observing it or skipping it entirely (Colossians 2:16-17).
Can Fasting From Screens Be a Genuine Spiritual Discipline?
Yes, in the same way fasting from food has always been used to focus attention on God. Modern life is saturated with entertainment and social feeds that can quietly crowd out prayer, Scripture reading, and simple stillness before God. Setting those things aside for a season, especially one already oriented around repentance and reflection like Lent, can create real space to hear from God. Jesus regularly withdrew from the noise of crowds to pray in solitude (Mark 1:35), and Paul commends disciplined self-denial aimed at spiritual growth (1 Corinthians 9:25-27).
The forty days of Lent, echoing Jesus’s own wilderness fast, can be a fitting structure for this kind of intentional break, provided the goal stays fixed on God rather than on the discipline itself.
The Danger of Turning It Into a Performance
Any fast, whether from food or from a phone, can slide into legalism or performance if you are not careful. Jesus warned against fasting to be admired, saying not to look somber like the hypocrites who disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting (Matthew 6:16). Posting about your social media fast to get approval for it, or feeling secretly superior to Christians who did not participate, defeats the entire purpose.
The goal is a humbled, attentive heart before God, not a badge of spiritual seriousness to display to others.
How to Actually Use the Time
Simply deleting an app for forty days accomplishes little on its own if the freed-up time and attention just drift to something else equally distracting. Pair the fast with something positive: a daily Scripture reading plan, focused prayer time, journaling, or serving others. Isaiah connects true fasting with active love for others, not just self-denial (Isaiah 58:6-7).
Expect some discomfort, restlessness, even boredom, especially in the first week or two. That discomfort often reveals how much you had been leaning on entertainment or scrolling for comfort, escape, or identity, and it is precisely the moment to turn toward God instead of reaching for a substitute.
A Freedom, Not a Requirement
In the end, whether you observe Lent at all, and whether you choose to fast from screens during it, is a matter of Christian liberty; Romans 14:23 reminds you to act from faith and a clear conscience, not obligation or peer pressure. If fasting from social media or entertainment for a season draws you closer to God, it is a wise and worthwhile practice. If you choose not to observe it, you have lost nothing essential to your standing before God, which rests entirely on Christ, not on your calendar.
What If You’ve Never Observed Lent Before
If you did not grow up in a tradition that observes Lent, starting now can feel unfamiliar, even a little performative, as though you are borrowing someone else’s spiritual practice. That discomfort is worth naming honestly, but it should not disqualify the practice. Many spiritually helpful habits, journaling, a reading plan, a small group, were unfamiliar the first time too. What matters is whether the practice, once tried with a sincere heart, actually draws you toward Scripture and prayer rather than becoming empty repetition.
Start small rather than ambitious. Choosing one specific app or habit to set aside, with a clear plan for what will fill that space instead, tends to succeed far more often than a vague resolution to give up all entertainment for forty days. Whatever you decide, hold it with an open hand; if you find partway through that the practice is not helping, you are free to adjust it, since the goal was always nearness to God, not the completion of a religious exercise for its own sake.
Consider inviting a friend or spouse to join you, or at least to know what you are doing, so that the season has some accountability and encouragement built in. A shared discipline, even a simple one, tends to last longer than a private resolution attempted alone, and it opens up natural conversations about what God is teaching you along the way.