{"id":4285,"date":"2026-01-09T16:49:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T16:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2026\/01\/09\/what-to-watch-on-your-phone-before-bed-that-wont-kill-you\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T16:49:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T16:49:29","slug":"what-to-watch-on-your-phone-before-bed-that-wont-kill-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2026\/01\/09\/what-to-watch-on-your-phone-before-bed-that-wont-kill-you\/","title":{"rendered":"What to watch on your phone before bed that won\u2019t kill you"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In every old Crash Course YouTube<\/a> video<\/a>, John Green had a \u201cthis machine kills fascists\u201d sticker on his Mac, inspired by Woody Guthrie\u2019s guitar carvings<\/a>. It was the early 2000s, and there was hope that the internet would ultimately be good. <\/p>\n

The Green brothers have gone back<\/a> on this message, and so have I. The internet no longer helps me find relief from this<\/a> horrifying<\/a> political<\/a> moment<\/a> and instead seems to perpetuate the harm. Scrolling when you get home from class is no longer a reprieve from the horrible thing you heard the boy next to you say under his breath, but an inescapable continuation of it. I used to feel a grand sense of camaraderie<\/a> on the internet, but now I just feel worse.<\/p>\n

But I still can\u2019t get off<\/a> the fucking phone, especially at night. How else, I attempt to argue, will I burn my eyes until they\u2019re so strained that I have to close them? What else will save me from the suffering of simply processing my day until my body forcibly sleeps?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had to find a middle ground. I\u2019m limiting myself to certain accounts and genres of content that remain purely good in a world that, climate-<\/a> and culture-wise<\/a>, feels more and more unsalvageable. As John Green <\/strong>wrote<\/a> in his 2021 essay collection \u201cThe Anthropocene Reviewed,\u201d \u201cfinding hope is not some philosophical exercise or sentimental notion; it is a prerequisite for my survival.\u201d Here are some places of peace and kindness on the internet that give me that much-needed hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cTweedy & Fluff\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am still a girl who chases the feeling of being read a bedtime story. \u201cTweedy & Fluff\u201d gets pretty damn close. The show is a stop-motion animation series that runs on TV<\/a>, but, in line with how I consume most TV these days, I watch the clips on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As their website<\/a> says, \u201cTweedy is a little toy made from tweed cloth, living alone in a weaver\u2019s cottage until the arrival of Fluff – a four-legged ball of woolly fuzz who becomes his beloved pet.\u201d It is one of the most adorable things I\u2019ve seen on the internet.<\/p>\n

My favorite clip is the most popular<\/a>, where Fluff gets a piece of tape stuck to him, which is obviously very scary for a little fluff. Tweedy calms him down, and it really makes me want to cry. The calming music, slight ASMR of Tweedy walking and genuine kindness of the act \u2014 it all cozies me right down for sleep.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a calm in these videos I haven\u2019t felt since maybe-too-old-me was playing with dolls<\/a> or accompanying my kid siblings to kid’s movies as a bona fide adult. It brings me to the quieted, peaceful space of a little girl glued to a fuzzy TV screen \u2014 emotionally way better than the rest of the shit<\/a> Instagram shoves down my throat.<\/p>\n

Lego cooking<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lego cooking is ASMR for children, and it rocks. There are quite a few channels that make these videos, but my favorite (and the most popular) channel is tomosteen<\/a>. These are stop-motion videos recreating every step of cooking with Legos instead of food, and they are so<\/em> satisfying. They\u2019re dubbed with incredible sound effects, making them even more realistic. These must take an insanely long time to make, evidenced by the gaps between uploads on the channel.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t like normal ASMR, but this content really does it for me. All of the videos are so detailed, and I\u2019m constantly floored by the effort being put into them. They make for a wonderfully calming experience before bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Office\u201d bloopers<\/strong><\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t even seen \u201cThe Office\u201d beyond a couple of random episodes, but it doesn\u2019t seem to matter. <\/strong>There aren\u2019t even enough bloopers to justify the amount of compilations that exist, but trust that I\u2019ve seen them all. I don\u2019t quite know why I\u2019m obsessed \u2014 maybe it\u2019s the comfort of such a well-known and easily rewatchable show, maybe it\u2019s watching actors I\u2019m vaguely aware of be seemingly good friends outside of their job. But either way, there\u2019s something in the \u201cDinner Party\u201d blooper<\/a> that necessitates I rewatch it every time. And there\u2019s no better way to fall a little bit in love with Jenna Fischer (\u201cBlades of Glory\u201d) and John Krasinski (\u201cA Quiet Place\u201d) than through these<\/a> compilations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Library book repairs<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is very little to say about library book repairs, but they rock. TikTok\u2019s The Contoured Librarian<\/a> takes books from her school library and goes through many processes to fix them, and it is so satisfying every time. There\u2019s big fancy machines<\/a>, lots of glue, tape and kids\u2019 books. What\u2019s not to love?<\/p>\n

worldbycharlie<\/strong><\/p>\n

This account is like if Mr. Rogers hosted \u201cHow It\u2019s Made.\u201d In his What Are They Making? series, worldbycharlie<\/a> goes to different factories and narrates how a product is made. The audio is super soothing and stripped down, with his calming narration throughout. He explains every part of the process as if he\u2019s narrating a children\u2019s television show. As he watches<\/a> potato chips tumble down a conveyor belt, he adds \u201cI wonder where they\u2019re going\u201d in perfect classic childhood-TV tone, and it\u2019s so wholesome. Every video is so warm and makes me feel like the internet still has some use for education.<\/p>\n

He hasn\u2019t made a ton of these videos yet, but the ones he has are doing really well and all<\/a> take<\/a> place at companies in Michigan, which is even cooler. There\u2019s even one<\/a> about Ann Arbor\u2019s own<\/a> Zingerman\u2019s<\/a>! <\/p>\n

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I don\u2019t really believe the internet will get much better, especially after the AI-infiltration<\/a> of almost<\/a> every<\/a> platform<\/a>. But there is still the occasional moment and the occasional video that bring me a smile, and, maybe these days, that\u2019s all I can hope for.<\/p>\n

Managing Arts Editor Campbell Johns can be reached at <\/em>caajohns@umich.edu<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post What to watch on your phone before bed that won\u2019t kill you<\/a> appeared first on The Michigan Daily<\/a>.<\/p>\n