Popular things to give up for Lent include social media, your phone for the first hour of the day, sweets, alcohol, coffee, takeout, streaming, video games, online shopping and complaining. The best choice is something that actually costs you, paired with something you take up instead, like morning prayer or a daily Gospel chapter. In 2027, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 10, and ends at Easter on March 28.
Lent is the 40 days (not counting Sundays) of prayer, fasting and giving before Easter. Giving something up isn't about earning anything. It's about making room: going without something good so that you feel your need for God, and filling the gap with him. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, which is in the public domain.
"Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting." Joel 2:12
When is Lent in 2027?
| Date | |
|---|---|
| Ash Wednesday | Wednesday, February 10, 2027 |
| Palm Sunday | Sunday, March 21, 2027 |
| Good Friday | Friday, March 26, 2027 |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday, March 28, 2027 |
These are the dates for Western churches (Catholic and most Protestant). Orthodox churches follow a different calendar: Pascha (Orthodox Easter) is on May 2, 2027.
Phone and screen ideas
These are the most common Lenten fasts today, and often the hardest.
- All social media for Lent
- Social media until after morning prayer
- Your phone for the first hour of the day
- Your phone in the bedroom
- TikTok, Reels or YouTube Shorts
- Streaming on weeknights
- Video games
- News apps, apart from one set time a day
- Scrolling during meals
- Online shopping and browsing
- Checking likes and views on your posts
- Podcasts and music in the car, for silence or prayer instead
Food and drink ideas
- Sweets and desserts
- Alcohol
- Coffee, or sugar in it
- Soda
- Takeout and fast food
- Snacking between meals
- Meat on more days than your tradition asks
- Eating out, giving the money saved to charity
Habit ideas
- The snooze button
- Staying up late
- Complaining
- Gossip
- Sarcasm
- Swearing
- Impulse buying
- Hot showers
- Comparing yourself to others
- Being late
Things to take up instead
Many people find adding something more lasting than giving something up. Pair one of these with your fast.
- Morning prayer before any app
- A Gospel chapter a day (Mark's 16 chapters fit easily in Lent; Luke's 24 take a little longer)
- A daily examen before bed
- Writing one thank-you note a week
- Calling someone who's lonely each week
- Weekly giving to the poor
- Midweek church or a Lent study
- Memorising one verse a week
- A daily walk without your phone
- Praying for one person by name each day
How do I choose what to give up?
Ask two questions: what has too much hold on me, and what crowds out God? Pick something that actually costs you, but not something so big you'll quit by the second week. A partial fast you keep is better than a total fast you abandon. Then decide what will fill the time, because an empty space tends to fill itself back up.
Do Sundays count in Lent?
Lent's 40 days don't include Sundays. Many traditions treat each Sunday as a little Easter, so some people relax their fast on Sundays. Others keep it all the way through. Decide before Ash Wednesday so you're not deciding in the moment.
Is giving up social media a good Lenten fast?
For many people it's the most meaningful one, because social media takes so much time and attention. It also tends to fill the moments that used to belong to prayer: the first minutes of the morning and the last ones at night. If you can't quit completely because of work or family, try a partial fast. For a full plan, see how to do a digital fast for Lent or Advent.
What does the Bible say about fasting?
Jesus assumed his followers would fast, and taught them to do it quietly:
"But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret." Matthew 6:17–18
Isaiah adds that the fast God wants also involves justice and generosity, "to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free" (Isaiah 58:6).
How can I keep a phone fast for all of Lent?
Make it the default instead of a daily decision. Before February 10, delete the apps you're giving up, or lock them. Prayer Latch locks the apps you choose each morning until you pray, and you can add more lock times, like evenings. Its free week covers the first days of Lent, and an emergency unlock is always there for real needs.
Pray before you scroll
Prayer Latch locks your chosen apps each morning until you pray. Your first 7 days are free, no card needed.
Updated October 22, 2026 by the Prayer Latch team at Janus Works LLC.