This article originally appeared in the May/June 2025 issue of Information Today under the title “Clicks of Concern: Social Media Addiction.”
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Scroll, post, react, and be part of a community: Ostensibly, those are the reasons people join social media and remain active digital citizens. But for some, cat memes, dance fad videos, and rosy-filtered photos lose their glimmer and are fueling a growing problem known as social media addiction, which is torpedoing mental health, physical well-being, and academic or work performance for millions. To mark Mental Health Awareness Month in May, this Spotlight article explores this problem and offers resources for treating it.
WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION?
Differing from general internet or digital addiction, social media addiction specifically looks at the impact that participation in virtual communities has on people. Although not officially recognized as an addiction by the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), researchers point out similarities between clinically defined addictions and social media misuse. Social media encourages endless scrolling and impulsive behaviors and reinforces a need for instant gratification. Exacerbating these issues, social media has a particularly strong impact on children and teens—who are at a time of life when brain development is ongoing, so it can negatively impact their cognitive growth, especially in neural areas relating to rewards and addictive behaviors.
THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM
As of January 2025, there are more than 5.24 billion social media users, which is nearly 64% of the total global population. Collectively, people average 2 hours and 21 minutes a day specifically visiting social media sites, and heavy teen users regularly clock in upward of 9 hours a day. Worldwide, more than 86% of adults have social media accounts, and statistics on teen social media usage show more prolific and widespread engagement with social media platforms.
A Pew Research Center survey of American teens (ages 13–17) conducted in 2022 ranked their preferred social media platforms and listed the percentage of teens who have used each one:
- YouTube, 95%
- TikTok, 67%
- Instagram, 62%
- Snapchat, 59%
- Facebook, 32%
- Twitter (now X), 23%
- WhatsApp, 17%
- Reddit, 14%
- Tumblr, 5%
Research shows that women engage most frequently with social media platforms. Notably, teen girls use TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram more frequently than their male peers, and, overall, Instagram is linked to the highest levels of negative mental health outcomes in teens. The Pew Research Center survey reports that 36% of teens feel they spend too much time on these platforms. Clinicians have charted an increase in youth mental health issues that correspond with the wide adoption of smartphones, and, today, nearly 95% of teens are smartphone users. Overall, 54% of teens report that giving up social media use would be difficult for them, with older teens and girls reporting more difficulty.
EMERGING RESEARCH TRENDS
The pervasive use of social media has prompted researchers to examine the impact of this ubiquity on well-being. Current research examines various aspects of problematic social media use, key findings, research gaps, and treatment protocols. Analysis of peer-reviewed literature shows clear growth in this field of research and a proliferation of scholarly research articles. Researchers Mark D. Griffiths, Chung-Ying Lin, and Amir H. Pakpour are leading the emerging field of social media addiction research and collectively have published more than 100 articles, generating 3,000-plus citations.
RISKS AND REPERCUSSIONS
A lot can go wrong online, and researchers have shown that social media use can have detrimental impacts on mental health and physical well-being. Dopamine-driven feedback loops, such as the reward/recognition processes in play with social media use, are well-documented in addiction studies and explain how experiences such as liked posts and high levels of engagement fuel social media use and initiate neurological cycles that can lead to social media misuse.
For many, social media participation is linked to increased feelings of anxiety, isolation, loneliness, inadequacy, low self-esteem, and negative body perceptions. Additionally, for those who have disorders such as ADHD, depression, and OCD, social media misuse can amplify symptoms and exacerbate problems. Researchers are also documenting correlations between social media misuse and sleep disturbances, reduced cognitive performance, lower academic achievement, troubles managing daily obligations, and increased rates of obesity, as well as an increased propensity to engage in dangerous behaviors such as substance abuse, excessive alcohol consumption, and unprotected sex. Additionally, more than 50% of drivers admit to having accessed social media sites while driving.
Social media is a virtual playground where, with the veil of distance and the cover of anonymity, people tend to taunt and harass each other more viciously than they do in real life. Increased time spent on these platforms provides greater opportunities for injurious cyberbullying. Very seriously, research has shown that 7 out of 10 teens who use social media for more than 5 hours a day are at a significantly greater risk of dying by suicide.
RECOGNIZING SIGNS OF MISUSE
When social media activity leads to twitching, fidgetiness, and the feeling of being on edge, there might be a problem. People suffering from social media addiction become preoccupied and constantly think about social media, planning their next interactions. Some confront intense levels of stress when posts flounder or garner unwanted responses. Some become anxious about anticipated responses and may censor themselves.
Unlike a book with finite chapters or a film with an ending, social media feeds extend infinitely, and self-regulation is tough. People lose their sense of time and slip into limitless scroll sessions. Driven often by feelings of boredom, emptiness, and/or FOMO (the fear of missing out), people find themselves spending a considerable amount of their day on these platforms, while neglecting social activities, hobbies, and work or school obligations. Some people also notice sleep disruptions, with more than 40% of teens reporting that social media use has negatively impacted their sleep. When people with social media addiction limit their engagement, they experience withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, anxiety, and restlessness.
While only trained and licensed health professionals can diagnose mental health disorders, self-assessment tools can help people recognize the need for treatment and support. Here are a few quizzes that may provide insight and help people recognize problematic involvement:
GETTING HELP
Social media addiction is treatable. Effective management techniques include self-regulation, parental involvement, educational programs (workshops, webinars, and mindfulness programs), monitoring involvement, and setting participation limits. Various other techniques include:
- Disabling notifications
- Using social media-blocking apps such as AppBlock, Flipd, and Freedom
- Uninstalling the apps from your phone and only accessing social media platforms from a computer
- Setting personal use limits for daily screen time and/or adopting blackout periods such as forgoing screens during the first and last hours of your day
- Setting up no-phone rules for particular settings such as during meals, bathroom visits, school or work, and time with family and friends
- Creating a multiday digital fasting schedule that replaces digital time with physical activities
HabitStrong offers a digital-detox online boot camp called Undistractable that helps participants understand how habits are instilled and map out techniques to reset addictive behaviors. Similarly, wellness platform Calm offers an online class called Social Media & Screen Addiction that aims to help people understand digital compulsions and teach them how to adopt behaviors that lead to positive outcomes. If these DIY techniques are inadequate, trained professionals can assist. Therapists, counselors, and psychiatrists who specialize in addiction are expanding their practices to aid people struggling with social media compulsions. These professionals employ cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and psychotherapies such as group and family therapy to help people address and eliminate social media misuse.
EMERGING LEGISLATION AND BANS
While social media is an omnipresent part of American life, it is banned or severely limited in some countries—for instance, in Brazil, China, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Turkey, and Vietnam. In November 2024, Australia made global headlines when it passed a full ban on social media for children younger than 16. The bill sparked vocal public debates, but supporters pointed to a desire to prevent self-harm due to cyberbullying as a key need for the regulation.
In the U.S., as of 2024, more than 40 states have adopted or proposed legislation addressing social media misuse and general digital protections. Some regulations set age thresholds, mandate parental consent for minors, require platforms to verify users’ ages, or set a digital curfew for younger users’ accounts. Nationally, legislators are eyeing unified countrywide policies to address the growing social media addiction issue. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) introduced S. 1291, the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, to the Senate on April 26, 2023. The bill would require social media platforms to perform age verification, prohibit algorithmic marketing for users younger than 18, require parental consent for users younger than 18, and disallow people younger than 13 from accessing social media platforms. The bill has bipartisan support and was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, but no other actions have been undertaken since. In November 2023, Rep. John James (R-Mich.) introduced a corresponding House of Representatives bill, H.R. 6149, the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act. It was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and then to the Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce, with no other actions since.
