Most US adults and teens have at least one social media account, and most of them check their social media daily or multiple times a day. While it's quite normal to spend a lot of time on social media in this day and age — and some people even carve out paid jobs doing exactly this, whether as moderators, to run a company's social media account, or as influencers ― there's also no doubt that social media use can become, ehm, a bit of a problem.
It's easy to get too carried away on social media. While you're busy posting pictures, reading and commenting, and and scrolling mindlessly, your life may be passing you by. The fact that there's free WiFi everywhere doesn't make it any easier to stay off social media!
Let's take a good look at the signs of social media addiction through the lens of the American Society of Addiction Medicine's list of the core characteristics of behavioral addictions.
Behavioral addictions involve compulsive interaction with activities, rather than substances. Gambling, shopping, and sex are other examples of behavioral addictions. Can social media be just as dangerous? For some people, the answer is "yes."
1. You lack the ability to 'consistently abstain'
In practice, this may mean you waste hours and hours of your time on social media, even if you have a lot of work and studying to do. And when your friends invite you to hang out with them, you might decline just to spend time scrolling through your feed — or you may "socialize" with a phone glued to your nose. Your family might complain when you take your phone out during dinner, but you feel compelled to do it anyway. This is similar to gambling addict telling themselves they won't hit the casinos again after they are done gambling, only to return to the slot machines or blackjack table the very next day.
2. You find it difficult to control your behavior
You may have planned to take a five-minute break to check in on your social media, only to find it's already been an hour when you look at the time! Even when you're not on social media, you constantly think about it — "Is there a new notification I didn't see?", "How many likes did I get?", and things like that. This compulsive social media use may impact your daily responsibilities or social relationships negatively, but you keep at it, even if you don't want to.
3. You crave social media
Whenever you're away from social media, you go a bit crazy thinking about it. You log on as soon as you get home, even if you have other, bigger, responsibilities to worry about. (Hungry cat? Nah, I wanna see cute cat videos on Facebook first.) If you're in a cafe with free WiFi, you're definitely going to connect to it just so you can check your social media.
4. You're blind to the trouble your social media addiction is causing you
Even though social media is probably negatively impacting your life, you just ignore the problem. You're neglecting your work or school responsibilities, your friends, and all the daily chores you're supposed to do. And you don't even notice it, because you're so obsessed with social media. The truth is, social media has replaced your "IRL", but you're in so deep you can't even tell.
5. Your emotions are messed up
Addictions can really mess with your emotions, to the point you might not know if you feel happy, angry, or sad. You may get really anxious and angry when you're away from social media. And when you're on social media, you may not feel happy, but stressed, because you didn't get the number of likes you thought you would, you lost followers, or everything just feels empty.
Is it possible to quit social media?
Well, there are several factors that may stop you from fully quitting. You may even need to use social media to do you job, but in that case, you can definitely start spending less time on it. It also depends on you — you should really try to commit to stopping, or you might just go back to your old habits again.
Only go on social media once you've finished all your responsibilities
It's easy to waste your whole day away on social media, without even finishing all your daily responsibilities. To avoid getting carried away on social media, only allow yourself to access it once you've done everything you actually needed to do. And don't tell yourself, "Oh I'm just taking a five minute break", because those five minutes turn into two hours before you know it.
Turn off notifications on your phone and computer
When you're doing something and suddenly get a notification on your phone, you feel like you have to check it. That can, of course, lead to you totally forgetting about the thing you were doing. Push notifications can be really distracting when you're working. So to prevent getting distracted, disable those notifications on your phone and computer — or set your devices to silent.
Self-limit your screen time
You might find it hard to quit social media altogether. Unless you truly have an addiction, you can simply commit to spending less time on it. Decide on a certain amount of time you're allowed on social media, and then stick to it — for instance one hour. These healthy limits allow you to keep networking and socializing on social media, while ensuring your real life won't be taken over.
Get your friends and family involved
If you've tried all of the other tips and failed, you may need some help. You can ask your family and friends to help you quit. Your family and friends have probably already been telling you to stop, so they may help you. Hang out with them more too, and don't take pictures of the social events you attend for social media. If your friends and family aren't helping, you can also try going to a therapist to explore whether your behaviors are so compulsive that they could be considered a true addiction.
And if all else fails... You can just delete your social media accounts for good. Don't take this step without replacing the time you used to spend online with meaningful activities in the real world, of course. Take this opportunity to socialize, take walks, or exercise — and keep track of the positive impact these new activities have on your mood.
- Photo courtesy of SteadyHealth
Your thoughts on this