Social Media Addiction – Tips To Help

Worldwide, 4.66 billion people log into social media channels, every single day.  Request a Callback

Home News Mental Health Social Media Addiction – Tips To Help

Worldwide, 4.66 billion people log into social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, every single day.

Though using social media has its pros, such as providing us with the ability to keep in contact with our loved ones, there are also many downsides to social media usage.

As we spend an increasing amount of time scrolling and refreshing our newsfeeds, social media has come to dominate our lives. Unbeknown to many, the longer we spend consuming social content, the more likely we are to become addicted to social media.

Though many will often overlook social media addiction, research estimates that more than 210 million people across the globe have developed an addiction to social media.

When we hear the phrase ‘social media addiction’, we often think of someone who simply spends too much time using social media. However, social media addictions go well beyond this and require professional treatment.

In this blog, we delve into social media addiction and share our tips to help.

Defined as a psychological dependence that develops when an individual engages in repeated behaviours, much research has been conducted to determine whether it is possible to develop a social media addiction. Though there are many ongoing debates, studies suggest that social media addictions are widespread.

Social media addictions are classified as behavioural addictions, which see those struggling unable to resist an impulse, drive, or temptation to use social platforms. Often, this is because they worry about missing important information or feel compelled to share their lives with others.

Over time, these impulses have a significant impact on the brain. Just as pleasurable activities such as exercise releases feel-good hormones such as endorphins, social media use does too.

When unable to access social media, many will experience low moods and pessimistic thoughts and feelings. As a result, they will feel compelled to turn to social media again to alleviate any negative emotions encountered. When this behaviour is frequently engaged in, addictions arise.

Determining whether a social media addiction is affecting the quality of your life can be tricky. However, if you are searching for social media addiction tips to help, the chances are that you already know that your social media use is problematic.

As social media addictions are behavioural addictions, it is not uncommon for the following signs and symptoms to arise if you have become addicted to social media.

Repeatedly using social media channels
Spending a significant amount of time using social media
Experiencing fear of missing out
Becoming increasingly anxious if you are unable to use social media
Encountering recurring low moods and depression
Worrying about the performance of your social media content

In addition to the above, those struggling with social media addictions will often isolate themselves from their loved ones in a bid to spend as much time as possible using social media. Many individuals will also withdraw from activities they once enjoyed and will prioritise social media use over important tasks such as going to work and studying.

Coming to terms with the fact that a social media addiction may be hindering your life can be difficult. Luckily, many tips can help you make positive changes in your life.

Below, we have shared just a few social media addiction tips to help.

Like many others that struggle with addictions, you may think that going cold turkey and deleting all your social media apps in one go will help you overcome your social media addiction. However, doing so could see you more prone to relapse.

As a result, it is best to reduce the time you spend on social media gradually.

Attempting to reduce the amount of time you spend on social media can be difficult, especially if you receive frequent notifications when someone likes your post or tags you in a comment.

For this very reason, if you are hoping to overcome a social media addiction, we recommend turning your social media notifications off. Not only will this decrease temptation to check your social media accounts, but it will help reduce the amount of time you spend scrolling.

Often, social media addictions arise due to underlying causes, such as mental health disorders. Many will also turn to social media to escape everyday life and stress.

As you attempt to overcome your social media addiction, you must understand the cause of your social media addiction. In doing so, you will have the ability to address any underlying factors and take appropriate action. Gradually, this will help you beat your social media addiction.

Seek professional help

Though you may not believe that professional help can be sought for social media addictions, here at Ocean Recovery, we provide a wide range of treatments to help individuals struggling with behavioural addictions, such as social media addictions, regain control of their life.

Typically, treatment for social media addictions includes psychological and well-being therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy. Understanding that social media addictions often arise due to a mental health disorder or contribute to mental health disorders, we also provide dual diagnosis treatment for co-existing social media addictions and mental health disorders.

Contact Us Today

Although we hope you will find the above social media addiction tips to help beneficial, please contact us today if you are concerned that you have developed a social media addiction. In doing so, we can provide appropriate support and guidance to ensure that you obtain the treatment you need.

Likewise, if you are concerned that a friend or family member is addicted to social media and needs help, please reach out to us. We can provide you with a wealth of advice and help you determine whether your loved one would benefit from attending our rehab for treatment.

John Gillen - Author - Last updated: January 13, 2022

John is one UK’s leading professionals in the addiction recovery industry. Pioneering new treatment techniques such as NAD+ and ongoing research into new therapy techniques such as systematic laser therapy, John is committed to providing the very best treatment for people throughout the UK and Europe. During his extremely busy schedule, John likes to regularly update our blog section with the latest news and trends in the industry to keep visitors to our site as well informed as possible on everything related to addiction treatment.

Additional Resources