The Dark Side of Social Media Addictions on Your Mental Health
By Kierstin Groess
Remember that cold, winter day in January when TikTok went dark? If you are anywhere between the ages of 13 to 30, chances are you do. I know I do—I even cried. We all spent what we thought were the last moments of TikTok ever trying to get in our last couple of scrolls before it was taken away from us, much like a drug addict will use one more time before they enter rehab. Then, the next day when we woke up, we all felt an overwhelming sense of withdrawal and anxiety that had us questioning whether it was even good for us in the first place. We did not know what to do without our morning scrolls—some of us even considered reading a book. Most of us were, and still are, addicted to it whether we like to admit it or not. TikTok did come back on in less than 24 hours, and the world rejoiced. But after all the smoke cleared, we looked back at how we acted without it, even for such a brief time, and thought to ourselves, “Do we have a problem?”
In this post, we are going to discuss the effects of social media addiction and how we can overcome them. Social media addiction is characterized by obsessive and uncontrollable use of social media. It can also include reliance on social media websites and apps that cause problems for the user in real life. Like any other addiction, social media addiction is caused by a release of dopamine in the brain's reward system. Instead of drugs or money triggering this reaction, it is likes, comments, and new content that keep users engaged. This reinforces the habit of frequent checking and scrolling.
From just the surface level, social media addiction may not seem all that bad, but there are hidden psychological effects it can have on us. One of the most significant effects social media addictions can have is heightened stress levels. One study found that "as social media addiction levels rise in adolescents, perceived stress levels also increase" (Sarialioğlu & Oluç, 2024). Perceived stress is the level of stress that a person reports feeling at the time, rather than the actual measured levels of stress. Increased stress can lead to numerous psychological problems like anxiety and depression. The constant pressure to stay up to date, reply to notifications, and maintain a certain image can leave people feeling overwhelmed and under pressure.
In “Is Social Media Busting or Boosting Your Stress?”, researchers found that “social media may increase stress if individuals receive undesirable feedback, such as receiving negative comments from a post or not receiving many 'likes' on a post. Or people who are active on social media may feel pressure to maintain their social network updates” (Smith, 2022). The need for validation that comes with social media addiction reinforces the urge to engage and scroll on platforms for extended periods of time.
Another significant way that social media addiction negatively affects individuals is by disrupting sleep. Disrupted sleep can lead to a variety of psychological problems, including anxiety, depression, memory issues, cognitive impairments, and increased stress. Many of us habitually scroll through social media before going to bed, unaware of the harmful effects it can have on our sleep patterns. It can make it harder to fall asleep, stay asleep, and achieve restful sleep, leading to daytime fatigue, trouble concentrating, and reduced productivity. According to LoMotte (2021), “That’s likely because use of smartphones close to bedtime has been shown to delay circadian rhythm, the body’s normal sleep-and-wake clock.” This disruption can cause people to stay up later than they intend to, ultimately reducing their overall sleep time and quality.
Another significant way social media addiction negatively impacts us is by limiting our ability to develop and express empathy. In communicating psychological science, we learn just how important empathy is for meaningful human connection and effective communication. Alan Alda, in his book If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?, states: "Being truly connected to the other person happens when we see them in a way that’s both emotional and rational, especially if we include listening with our eyes: looking for clues in the face, in gestures—in all the nonverbal signs of a state of mind” (Alda, 2017). However, I do not think we can account for all of that over a phone screen. Social media interactions strip us of key nonverbal cues, making it difficult to fully understand and connect with others. These facial expressions, gestures, and body language are essential components of communication that foster empathy by allowing us to interpret and feel what others are experiencing. This lack of emotional connection is one reason why cyberbullying is so prevalent, as people feel detached from the emotions of those they interact with online. We need to be able to take in the world and each other through our own eyes and experiences so that we can truly connect and develop empathy for one another.
Unfortunately, there is no rehab for social media addictions, but there are ways to overcome it. The first step to overcoming a social media addiction is to recognize the problem (Jackiw, 2023). By admitting you have a problem you can equip yourself with the tools to overcome it. You can also set attainable goals to cut down usage of social media (Jackiw, 2023). You can do this by giving yourself a set number of hours per day to spend on the platforms and slowly cutting that time down as you go along. Doing activities offline can also be a good way to combat social media addiction (Jackiw, 2023). This helps your brain to activate the reward area with other pleasures. Disabling social media notifications can help you to not feel the need to constantly check your platforms as well (Jackiw, 2023). Social media addictions can have serious consequences for your mental health but there are ways to overcome them and take back control of their digital habits.
References
Alda, A. (2017). If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face? Random House.
Jackiw, K. (2023). How to overcome social media addiction. CTR Institute. https://ctrinstitute.com
LoMotte, S. (2021). Smartphone addiction ruins sleep, study says, but you can fight back. CNN. https://www.cnn.com
Sarialioğlu, A., & Oluç, T. (2024). The relationship between social media addiction and perceived stress in adolescents. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 37(4), 12. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcap.70000
Smith, J. (2022). Is social media busting or boosting your stress? Everyday Health. https://www.everydayhealth.com