In June 2024, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy published an opinion piece in the New York Times suggesting that social media platforms should have a warning label, similar the one we see on cigarettes and alcohol in the U.S., stating they’re detrimental to the mental health of adolescents. The concern is that the more adolescents spend on social media, the worse their self-esteem, mental health, and body image. Murthy also notes that studies on tobacco use suggest that Surgeon General’s Warnings do work to change behaviors and raise awareness. While adolescents themselves report negative mental effects of social media, they also report feeling addicted, like they can’t cut back on their use if they wanted to. Is this addiction to social media real or a panicked reaction to the relatively new and ever-evolving phenomenon of social media?

Is Social Media Addiction Real?

Yes, social media addiction is real, though it is rare.

Clinicians define social media addiction as the compulsive use of social media to the determent of other aspects of your life (e.g. your mood, relationships, work performance, family responsibilities, etc.). Popular social media sites for adolescents include YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, What’s App, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter).

Social media started in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but usage skyrocketed in the mid-aughts with the arrival of Facebook and smartphones. Murthy notes that “Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms.” However, a 2023 Gallup poll found that teenagers spend an average of 4.8 hours every day on social media, and Pew Research reported in 2022 that social media is so integrated into life, that 54% of teens say it would be difficult to give it up.

Social media platforms are built to be addictive by pushing notifications that cause positive emotions and a dopamine release. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated both with pleasure and the brain changes associated with addiction. Basically each time we get a notification, we get a hit of dopamine, feel really good, and want to check the social media site to see the comment, post, etc. Our brains start to associate social media with positive emotions and a dopamine hit, so we use it more and more.

As the phenomenon of social media is relatively new, so is the idea of social media addiction. As such, clinicians have not yet defined it in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which is a key reference mental health professionals use to diagnose mental health conditions. This, however, doesn’t mean there are no symptoms or treatments available.

Signs of Social Media Addiction

Despite it not being an “official” mental health condition, social media addiction shares similar symptoms to gambling addiction or substance use disorder:

  • Tolerance: You use social media more and more to get the same effect.
  • Withdrawal: You experience withdrawal symptoms (e.g., a negative mood) when you don’t engage with social media.
  • A lot of time spent using: Social media dominates your life.
  • Mood modification: You use social media to avoid emotions or reality.
  • Role failure: Your social media use causes problems at work/home/school.
  • Relapse: After abstaining from social media for a period of time, you return to the same level of excessive use.

Treatments for Social Media Addiction

Again, because social media addiction is relatively new, the treatments are still evolving, and no one treatment will work for everyone. Someone struggling with the effects of their social media use may find cognitive behavioral therapy or motivational interviewing with a therapist or mental health professional very helpful. Likewise, group therapy or activities like yoga, meditation, and mindfulness may also help treat social media addiction.

Murthy notes that even if Congress approves a Surgeon General’s Warning for social media sites, the warning in and of itself is not enough to make social media safe for children. He calls on social media platforms to better study, understand, and share the effect their products have on users; lawmakers to create safety guidelines to better protect children; parents to establish “tech-free zones” to more easily build in-person relationships; and children and adolescents themselves to understand how and why limiting their social media use and the information they share online.

The Negative Mental Health Impacts of Social Media

Regardless of whether you’re concerned your loved one has a social media addiction, it’s important to know the negative impacts social media can have on someone, especially adolescents.

Studies have not yet shown social media to be safe, and there’s growing evidence that it impacts mental health negatively. In a 2023, warning about social media, Murthy noted, “When asked about the impact of social media on their body image, 46% of adolescents aged 13-17 said social media makes them feel worse, 40% said it makes them feel neither better nor worse, and only 14% said it makes them feel better. Additionally, 64% of adolescents are “often” or “sometimes” exposed to hate-based content through social media. Studies have also shown a relationship between social media use and poor sleep quality, reduced sleep duration, sleep difficulties, and depression among youth.” The effects on adults are similar with increases in depression and anxiety and decreased self-esteem.

Suggestions to Stay Mentally Healthy While Using Social Media

The most obvious thing to do is to cut back on social media usage. Easier said than done, right? Social media is a major way adults and adolescents socialize, and simply stopping may make you feel isolated. You don’t have to stop using social media entirely, you just have to set some boundaries around use.

For example, set a limit for how much time you can be on social media each day and stick to it. Turn notifications off so you’re not tempted to check in during downtime.

Make sure you understand your privacy options so you control who sees and can interact with your content. Friends and interactions should be about quality, not quantity.

Unfollow people who only provide negativity. Find things you enjoy or want to learn more about. Follow people you like. It might be fun to hate follow someone for a while, but if your net emotion after using social media is anger or self-loathing, unfollow the causes of those feelings. If it’s too complicated to unfollow them, mute them, or just skip over their posts when you see them.

Create dedicated phone-free time, especially around bedtime. Using your phone keeps your brain active for a while after you stop using it. What you see on your phone may cause you to have strong emotions or you may start to ruminate on an issue instead of going to sleep. Also the light from your phone can throw off your body’s internal clock. Your body starts to wind down at night when it’s dark, and looking at the light from your phone can prevent that.

Also allow for phone-free times to build in-person relationships – during meals or when you’re spending time with someone, focus on being in the moment.

For more about social media and kids, please check out our How to Talk to Your Kids About Social Media blog.