YouTube is still social media
The last social media I gave up on was YouTube. It was the hardest by a longshot. I was in denial that it's not bad for you and it's not a social media.
The addictive design is there. I always read the comments while the video is playing. I always look at the relevant videos and think of what to watch next. I sometimes don't watch the full length as I see something more interesting.
Watching a YouTube video about the thing is NOT doing the thing. Even if there are healthy topics such as exercise or cooking.
ChatGPT's note
I think the last sentence gets to the heart of it: consuming content about an activity can create the feeling of engaging in that activity without requiring you to actually do it.
You can watch hours of fitness videos and feel productive without exercising, or watch cooking tutorials without ever making a meal. You gain knowledge, but knowledge can also become a comfortable substitute for action.
YouTube makes this particularly easy because it blurs the line between learning and entertainment. You arrive with a purpose, but recommendations, comments, and the promise of something more interesting keep pulling you away from it.
Perhaps the useful question isn't whether YouTube is inherently bad, but whether your use of it brings you closer to doing what you care about or keeps you occupied with watching other people do it.