I was first diagnosed with photosensitivity and photophobia as a young teenager due to an intertwining visual impairment and neurological condition. At the time, there was a popular pop song that featured a refrain with a list of all of the lights I found painful or disorienting to look at, and I felt like these types of lights were everywhere, especially on the social media and video sharing websites my friends would use and send links to. Here are my favorite tips for avoiding flashing lights on social media with photosensitivity and photophobia, and minimizing exposure to bright lights, flashing lights, and strobe lights online.
What is photosensitivity? What is photophobia?
Photophobia and photosensitivity are terms used to describe adverse reactions to bright lights, strobe lights, or flashing lights, which can include eye pain, headaches, nausea, seizures, dizziness, discomfort, or other symptoms. Some people may have photophobia or photosensitivity but will involuntarily fixate on flashing lights or bright lights, making it difficult or impossible for them to look away.
Examples of medical conditions that can be affected by photosensitivity or experience negative effects from flashing lights include:
- Autism/ADHD/Sensory Processing Disorder
- Chiari malformations
- Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI)
- Epilepsy
- Flicker Vertigo
- Migraines
- Motion sickness
- Neurological conditions
- Non-epileptic seizures
- PTSD
- Visual impairments, inclusive of both low vision and blindness
- Visual Processing Disorder
Not everyone who has these diagnoses will experience photosensitivity, but it is a known trigger for some people with these conditions. In my case, I experience photophobia and photosensitivity connected to visual impairment (low vision) and Chiari Malformation, and my reactions vary from eye pain from bright lights to feeling disoriented or having a migraine triggered by strobe or flashing lights.
I am not advocating for the removal of flashing and strobe lights from existence, I am sharing strategies for how I personally avoid a known medical trigger in my day-to-day life.
Related links
- Veronica’s Four Eyes: All About My Glasses For Low Vision
- How I Explain My Brain With Chiari Malformation
- Flashing Lights and Photosensitivity in the Classroom
Reduce exposure to bright/flashing lights in device settings
Several major operating systems offer accessibility settings that can reduce exposure to bright and/or flashing lights. While these aren’t 100% effective on their own, they do go a long way in helping to reduce exposure to flashing content and discomfort from looking at screens.
Reduce flashing lights for iOS and iPadOS
Open the Settings application and navigate to the Accessibility section to configure the following settings:
Display & Text Size
- Smart Invert (reverse colors of display without impacting images, media, or dark mode)
- Color Tint
- Reduce White Point
Motion
- Reduce Motion
- Prefer Cross-Fade Transitions
- Auto-Play Message Effects (turn off)
- Auto-Play Animated Images (turn off)
- Dim Flashing Lights
- Auto-Play Video Previews (turn off)
Another setting to turn off is Reactions for FaceTime, which can be done by doing the following:
- Open FaceTime
- Swipe down from the top right corner to open Control Center
- Under Video Effects, de-select Reactions
Reduce flashing lights for Windows
Open the Settings application and search for the following settings:
- Show animations in Windows (turn off)
- Show flashing on taskbar apps (turn off)
Another tip to reduce flashing lights is to use the keyboard shortcut Windows key + L to lock the computer when not in use, instead of enabling a screen saver (which may malfunction and trigger flashing effects)
Reduce flashing lights for Android
Open the Settings application and navigate to the Accessibility section to configure the following:
- Color and motion: Remove animations
- Extra dim (if lower screen brightness is desired)
- Flash notifications (turn off)
Related links
- Smartphone Accessibility Settings For Photosensitivity
- How To Use Invert Colors With Low Vision
- Choosing Between Light Mode and Dark Mode For Low Vision
- High Contrast and Low Vision
Turn off auto-play for gifs, stickers, and videos
When configuring accessibility settings in a social media application or web browser, ensure that auto-play is turned off for gifs, stickers, and videos so that the media will not play or flash unless the user specifically selects it or clicks on it. This may be listed as a “Data Saver” setting, since videos or other content will not load automatically.
Turn off Auto-Play in web browser
To turn off Auto-Play in Firefox:
- Open the Application Menu (icon with three lines) and select Settings
- Select Privacy & Security
- Under Permissions, select Autoplay
- Select Block Audio and Video by default for all websites, or configure specific website preferences within the menu
To turn off Auto-Play in Microsoft Edge:
- Open Settings and More (keyboard shortcut Alt + F) and select Settings
- Select Cookies and Site Permissions
- Select Media Autoplay, and then select Limit to limit auto-play on all websites by default
To turn off Auto-Play in Safari (for Mac):
- From Safari, open Settings and select Websites
- Select Auto-Play from the left menu, and then select Choose Settings for All Websites
- Under When Visiting Other Websites, select Never Auto-Play
Turn off Auto-Play on social media sites
To turn off Auto-Play for Facebook:
- Open Settings & Privacy and select Settings
- Select Media
- Under Auto-Play, select Off or Never Autoplay Videos. Autoplay settings may need to be turned off on both the website and application
To turn off Auto-Play for Instagram:
- Open Settings and Activity
- Under Your App and Media, select Media Quality
- Select Use Less Cellular Data
To turn off Auto-Play for X (Twitter):
- Open Settings and Support and select Settings and Privacy
- Select Accessibility, Display, and Languages
- On the web application, select Data Usage and set auto-play to Never
- On the mobile application, select Display and Sound and turn off media previews
To turn off Auto-Play for TikTok:
- Open Settings and select Privacy and Security
- In the Content section, select Autoplay
- Select Never Play Videos Automatically
Related links
- How To Make Your Instagram Feed Accessible For Visual Impairment
- Twitter Accessibility Features For Low Vision
- How To Write Video Descriptions For TikTok
- BlueSky Accessibility Features For Low Vision
Mute words or phrases frequently associated with flashing content
Many social media platforms provide users with the option to mute specific words or phrases so that they do not show up in a user’s main feed, even if someone they follow likes/reposts content with these keywords. While this does not block content that is shown on a specific profile, it is helpful for avoiding surprise flashing lights.
Some examples of words or phrases frequently associated with strobe or flashing content may include:
- Flashing lights
- Lightning
- Strobes
- Strobing lights
- TW (trigger warning) or CW (content warning) followed by: lights, strobes, strobing, flashing lights, epilepsy, lightning, flashes, seizure, flickering. I muted each phrase with and without colons (tw: strobes and tw strobes) separately
- Fancam
- Hashtags or names of specific music groups/artists that frequently use flashing lights in their content
- Video filters associated with flashing lights (many users will include the filters as a hashtag)
For content creators that post trigger warning or content warnings, be explicit about what the trigger is and avoid just captioning something as “trigger warning” or “content warning.” Also, avoid using the hashtag epilepsy (or another medical condition) by itself to indicate flashing content, as this can block out educational material posted under the same hashtag.
Related links
- How I Watch Concert Videos Without Strobe Lights
- Streaming Audio Description For Performing Arts Videos
Block ads as much as possible
Since a lot of advertisements incorporate strobe or flashing lights, I use ad blocking tools as much as possible for safety reasons and to avoid surprise flashing content. One option is to pay for ad-free content on websites such as YouTube, which does not provide many options for avoiding flashing content. Another option is to install ad blocker extensions on web browsers, or use a web browser like the free Brave browser that has a built-in ad blocker.
Mute or block accounts that regularly post flashing content
If I come across a social media account that posts content with flashing lights or has a strobe light in an ad, I will immediately block or mute the account to ensure the posts will not show up in my timeline again. Some social media platforms also provide options for hiding specific posts or deleting replies/comments in a timeline, which can be another helpful tool.
Be cautious when opening stories or videos without a preview
Since it’s hard to guess what is in a video just from the first frame alone, it’s important that users that experience photophobia or photosensitivity exercise caution when opening up story posts, disappearing messages like Snapchat, or videos without knowing what is in them, as these may contain flashing effects from stickers or environments like concerts. Some users may prefer to mute stories from specific accounts that regularly post flashing content on their stories, but that otherwise refrain or minimize flashing content on their timelines.
Ask friends to check content for flashing lights before sharing
My friends love to send me funny videos and gifs, but before I open anything I ask them if the content has any strobe or flashing lights. I taught my friends how to check content for strobe and flashing lights so that they know what to look for, but occasionally a video or gif will slip through the cracks and I’ll ask them before opening it if it is safe for me to look at, or if I should show the video/gif to someone else first. I have an entire post on checking videos for flashing lights linked below, as well as guidance on creating alt text for gifs that can be used to avoid flashing content.
Related links
More tips for using social media with photosensitivity
- Wondering how I bring up photosensitivity and photophobia with teachers and professors? Learn more in How I Talk To Professors About Photosensitivity
- Another tool that can be helpful for managing photophobia is dark mode, which I talk about more in Choosing Between Light Mode and Dark Mode For Low Vision
- When it comes to reading text content on websites, I love using a simplified reading display to block out ads and video content- I share a list of apps in Simplified Reading Displays and Low Vision
Published December 18, 2019. Updated August 2024