Research has found we check Facebook 14 times a day (is that all?). Here, one mum – worried about her addiction to her social media feed – reveals what happened when she deleted Facebook from her phone ...

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Be honest now. How many of you checked your Facebook feed before you even got out of bed this morning?

And how many of you find yourself repeating, ‘just a minute’ to your kids as you scroll through random friends' posts . Or feel stressed seeing a birthday alert when you’ve forgotten to send a card. Again.

A recent poll of 2,000 mums found 23% of us spend more than 12 hours A DAY on phones, laptops and tablets.

Over half of the mums surveyed by mobile phone insurance company Row.co.uk admitted most of their time online was spent on social media platforms. Meanwhile a third said they were taking videos or photos of their kids to share on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Here, writer and mum-of-two Louisa Pritchard – who spends more time than she cares to admit on social media – describes what happened when she decided to delete Facebook from her phone.

Day 1

Okay, here goes – I’m going to do it.

I’m going to delete the blue Facebook icon from my phone homescreen, which has sat happily between my WhatsApp and Instagram apps for years.

Because although it used to be something I checked occasionally, I’ve realised that recently I’ve been opening the app more and more each day … often without even realising I’m doing it.

Which might sound like a crap excuse. But honestly, it’s like my thumb has a mind of its own.

And no matter how well-meaning I am, opening my phone to JUST check emails or Whatsapp, before I know what’s happening I’ve automatically clicked on my Facebook app.

And, guess what? Not much has changed since I subconsciously checked it an hour earlier.

So rather than become even more Facebook obsessed (seriously, I need to stop wasting time reading spats between Facebook friends or blocking people who post far too many ‘inspirational’ quotes), I’m going on a Facebook detox on my phone.

Eek … app uninstalled.

Day 2

I wake up, reach for my phone … and have a moment of total confusion when I can’t find the Facebook app, the thing I usually check before I’ve even rolled out from under the duvet in the mornings.

Remembering my detox, I have an instant sense of FOMO. Am I missing anything that happened overnight? Any pregnancy announcements / messages from friends / birthdays I never remember and rely on Facebook to tell me?

Aaagh, this is going to be harder than I thought.

Ooooh, maybe I’ll just have a scroll through Instagram instead ...

Day 3

Okay, so I’ve spent the day replacing my Facebook addiction with scrolling through Instagram instead. Gah.

Instagram phone app … uninstalled.

Day 4

Serious wobbles today.

I bumped into some mum mates who were talking about a local event on Friday for the kids.

Usually I’d have seen the details on one of the local mummies groups I’m a member of. But with a Facebook-free phone, it had completely passed me by.

Luckily I could still put my name down for the event on a website. But it got me worrying about what else I might be missing.

Aagh, FOMO in overdrive …

Day 5

There’s only one way to describe it, and that’s a twitch.

A ‘blink and you miss it’ twitch but it’s still there – that impulse to move your thumb and click on the Facebook app.

And weirdly, I find myself, on day five, still automatically going to the place where the app used to be.

Has my brain REALLY rewired itself to need a Facebook hit at least once an hour? I have to stop myself giving in and loading Facebook through my internet browser by turning my phone off.

And then cope with a fresh load of anxiety about what else I might be missing – texts, calls, emails. Aagh.

I also have another wobble today when I go to a ‘getting to know you’ day at my son’s new school.

Chatting to another mum about meeting up again, she says she’ll find me on Facebook and send me a message.

Eek … motherhood is lonely enough . Can I really cut out a way of meeting up with new people?

Day 6

Hurrah, I’ve finished a couple of work deadlines early. And I know the reason why – no time-wasting on Facebook.

Even if it’s a quick five minutes here to scroll through my feed, or 10 minutes spent going through the local buying and selling pages, it all adds up.

And there’s another benefit I wasn’t expecting.

Before uninstalling the app, I’d mindlessly check Facebook throughout the evening and before I went to bed. And even though my sleep is far from good ( mainly thanks to my two-year-old ) I’ve found myself waking up less in the night worrying about, well, everything.

And I’m not the only one. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that heavy users of social media are significantly more likely to experience disrupted sleep.

Honestly, I’d pick sleep over my Facebook feed every time ...

Day 7

I made it!

A week without Facebook on my phone. Which sounds like a bit of a rubbish achievement. But I’m pretty chuffed with myself.

Not only have I got more done and slept better, I’m surprised to realise that I’m feeling less anxious .

No achievement anxiety from seeing friends’ posts about glamorous holidays or fantastic new work projects.

And no getting sucked into arguments between Facebook friends that I never commented on, but used to read every word and then feel irritated.

So after a week off it’s the moment I’ve been waiting for – and I log into Facebook on my laptop.

What have I missed?! Er, turns out not much at all.

Instead it’s a bit like groundhog day – the same old posts and photos that I used to aimlessly scroll through without even thinking.

So I’ve got a plan.

I’m going to unfollow the majority of people in my feed. And instead I’ll only check the local mummies groups pages– the one thing I realise I actually get any value from.

And as far as putting the Facebook app back on my phone? No way ... I'm not giving up all my newly discovered time. And sleep!

Are you thinking about deleting Facebook? Why not join the chat in our Coffeehouse forum, below.