However, if this is not possible, they may want to seek help from a mental health professional. If a person is not able to reduce their social media use on their own, they may wish to consult a mental health professional. Research suggests that by 2016, adolescents spent an average of 6 hours a day on social media.
ASPD Stigma and Its Impact
One of the hallmark signs of addiction is continuing to use something even after it has clearly had negative impacts on your physical or mental health, relationships, work, or other vital areas of life. More and more people are reporting that heavy social media use negatively impacts their relationships and self-esteem and makes them less productive at work or school, which is a red flag that may indicate addiction. Yet in reality, psychological research on the link between social media and mental health tends to be mixed. This is likely because social media, whatever its effect, is just one piece of a more complex mental health puzzle, and it’s difficult for researchers to design perfectly controlled studies to tease out its exact role. Another key reason is that social media affects different people in different ways.
Antisocial Personality Disorder: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment
Results of the study presented here include the findings on social media addiction and social media problematic use. One of social media’s great strengths is its ability to connect us with like-minded others. But in doing so, it may channel us into what are known as social media “bubbles,” identity-driven online cliques that present us only with people and information we’re already likely to agree with and shield us from anything that challenges our deeply-held beliefs. Many experts argue that these bubbles, which can create the illusion that anyone who disagrees with us is evil or foolish, increase polarization and our distrust of one another. Yet they may also have some positive effects; one study conducted during COVID-19, for example, found that people who were strongly connected to a social media “bubble” had better well-being than those who weren’t. The social media platforms themselves have generally argued that this is a positive development.
- You may have dozens of digital connections and seem well-connected, yet consistently feel lonely and as if you are missing out.
- It’s a complex mental health condition that requires understanding and treatment.
- An explanation for that could be that there is still a lack of awareness on the negative consequences of the use of social media and the impact it has on the mental well-being of users.
- People affected by neurosis tend to use online social media to stay in touch with other people and feel better about their social lives (31).
Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School
Further, to evaluate the reliability of the collected data, some parts of the interviews alongside the developed codes were returned to the participants to check the consistency of the ideas extracted by the researchers and the participants. The categories and subcategories extracted from the data were also sent to some experts in the field of qualitative how to help an alcoholic in denial studies to be revised, if required, and agreed upon. The semantic units were short and meaningful phrases that were extracted from the participants’ responses. These codes were refined; that is, the similar codes were put together or merged. Thus, a number of subcategories and categories were formed and the hidden content and concepts were extracted.
While keeping youth busy with nondigital activities is encouraged, parents can also guide their kids toward more productive digital hobbies; perhaps someone who posts incessant TikTok videos can be tasked with making a longer-form video project. This way the child can develop valuable audio and visual skills while remaining close to a technology that is found enjoyable. There are steps parents can take to keep the home environment a healthy space. As part of a social media hygiene plan, they should designate certain activities or zones as tech-free; for example, no social media at dinner, when driving, and before bed.
Wadsley and Ihssen searched in the participants’ responses for symptoms of withdrawal in line with those found in substance-use disorders, such as relapses and increased consumption following abstinence. Though 87% of the participants weren’t able to stay off of social media entirely, their use time decreased to an average of 30 minutes, down from between three and four hours per day, and remained lower than before even after the week of abstinence had passed. “If there’s something like withdrawal, we would expect those cravings to go up after a while,” says Ihssen. But in both usage time and in the results of a test given to participants at the end of the week that recorded their reactions to seeing social media app icons, the sharp craving the chemical effects of withdrawal can cause just didn’t manifest as expected. There’s no such thing as an official diagnosis of “social media addiction.” But social media overuse is increasingly commonplace today, and it may have some serious repercussions to your physical and mental health.
“As soon as we’re done with this interview, you’ll check your phone and I’ll check my email,” says Lembke. It’s likely that this state contributes to original ideas and a general sense of wellness. Like the Dutch practice of niksen, which involves setting aside time each day to do nothing, it’s about being still with your thoughts. As the chief of Stanford University’s dual diagnosis addiction clinic (which caters to people with more than one disorder), Lembke has spent the past 25-plus years treating patients addicted to everything from heroin, gambling and sex to video games, Botox and ice baths. She’s a whiz on why we get hooked on things – and how we can enjoy pleasurable things in healthier doses. Dr Anna Lembke, a world-leading expert on addiction, is concerned about my “phone problem”.
People who are physically disabled, geographically isolated, or struggling with depression may find particular value in online communities, as they can offer a sense of connection that may feel elusive in the real world. They must keep a check on the youngsters’ online activities and put a time limit on their online presence to curb this problem. I became inflicted with depression and so I had to see psychiatrist and take medication (P5). The Guba and Lincoln criteria were used to ensure the accuracy and strength of the data.[16] The researchers’ interpretations of the participants’ responses were shared with them during the interviews to ensure their accuracy as well as to increase data credibility.
If you’re considering online therapy options for social media addiction, view a full list of options here to get started on your path toward recovery. A study performed by California State University found that individuals that visited any social media site at least 58 times per week were 3 times more likely to feel socially isolated and depressed compared to those who used social media fewer than 9 times per week. Get professional help from an online addiction and mental health counselor from BetterHelp. Lembke is sanguine that we can beat our digital dependencies by embracing a more monastic mindset.
When a person posts a picture they may receive positive social feedback, which stimulates the brain to release dopamine, rewarding that behavior and perpetuating the social media habit. Obsessive and excessive social media use has a devastating impact on our mental health. Social media experiences involving inauthentic and curated expressions, cyberbullying, online trolling, and personal and professional comparisons promote negativity such as reduced the cycle of alcohol addiction national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism niaaa self-perception and inadequacy about life or appearance. Emerging data suggest that bupropion might be effective for internet gaming disorder, which many professionals see as a close cousin to social media disorder, given the social aspects of today’s online games. Pharmacology for addictive behavior should be considered a short-term option, although maintenance medications can be useful in managing co-occurring psychiatric disorders like depression.
The geographical distribution trends of scholarly publications on social media addiction or problematic use indicate that the most productive countries were the USA (92), the U.K. Griffiths (sixty-five articles), Lin (twenty articles), and Pakpour (eighteen articles) were the most productive scholars according to the number of Scopus documents examined in the area of social media addiction and its problematic use. In a study by Seidman (29), the Big Five personality traits were assessed using Saucier’s (30) Mini-Markers Scale. Results indicated that neurotic individuals use social media as a safe place for expressing their personality and meet belongingness needs. People affected by neurosis tend to use online social media to stay in touch with other people and feel better about their social lives (31). Narcissism is another factor that has been examined extensively when it comes to social media, and it has been found that people who are narcissistic are more likely to become addicted to social media (32).
Luckily, the condition is very treatable and many have successfully recovered. Reducing screen time is a great way to combat problematic social media use; however, if the addiction is too severe you may require professional help. Another aspect of social anxiety triggered by online media use is the fear of alcohol misconceptions missing out (FOMO), the extreme fear of not being included or missing a social event. FOMO can take a toll on self-esteem and lead to compulsive checking of social media platforms to ensure that an individual isn’t missing out on anything, which can cause problems in the workplace and in the classroom.