Credits: Social Media
4 tell-tale signs you are addicted to social media – and how to overcome it
We’re all guilty of scrolling through TikTok and Instagram from time to time, but how do you know if you’re addicted to social media?
According to Statista, people spend 143 minutes on social media per day on average, which is 2.3 hours. A privacy expert has revealed four signs that you’re using social media too much, and what to do to try and reduce how much you’re on your phone.
4 signs you are addicted to social media
According to Trevor Cooke, a privacy expert at Earthweb, these are the tell-tale signs you are addicted to social media:
1. Social media consumes all your time
If you spend hours every day scrolling through your social media pages, that could be a sign you’re becoming too dependent. This could negatively impact your productivity at work or school and make you neglect responsibilities.
Cooke recommends using the built-in tracker on your iPhone or Android to keep tabs on your daily social media usage.
“Apps such as Instagram and Facebook can provide alerts when youve reached your maximum daily time allowance,” he explained. “You can utilise these features to keep your scrolling habit under control.”
2. Social media makes you withdraw socially
Another sign you are addicted to social media is withdrawing from society. If you find yourself wanting to sit at home on your phone rather than go out and socialise with friends and family, there could be a deeper issue.
To combat this, it’s a great idea to find activities you enjoy that don’t involve social media, like arranging regular meet-ups with friends, joining a local sports club, or taking up a new hobby.
“Make sure youre doing things you enjoy, rather than pursuing activities so you can post about them online. Try doing at least three activities a week that you dont post about on social media,” the privacy expert said.
3. Social media makes you develop mental health issues
One sure sign that you are becoming too dependent on social media is if it is causing you to develop mental health issues.
Seeing other peoples perfect images and lives online can cause you to develop a low self-image. Endless scrolling can also cause anxiety, stress, insomnia, loneliness and isolation, UK Addiction Treatment Centres reveals.
Cooke recommends hiding social media apps from your home page to reduce the temptation to keep using them. It’s also a good idea to turn off your notifications to stop yourself engaging with the messages, sounds, and vibrations.
4. You cant stop
Finally, if you physically can’t stop scrolling, that’s a clear sign that you are developing a social media addiction. If you become anxious or aggressive when someone tells you to stop using your phone, they are obvious symptoms of withdrawal.
To combat this, it might be a good idea to completely give up social media for a while to stop it from controlling you. A social media detox usually consists of deleting or logging out of apps for a certain amount of time.
Therapy can also be a great way to overcome a social media addiction.
