Let’s take a look at how to identify some of the most toxic symptoms of social media addiction and tips for treating them.
1. You Consume Mindlessly
Snacking mindlessly? It’s a common habit that many people can recognize. You might find yourself snacking even when you’re not hungry.
Mindless social media addiction is similar.
Chatting with friends and catching up online is one thing, but finding yourself elbows deep in your Twitter feed every time you feel an urge to open the app is a sign of addiction. Checking the socials dozens of times per day without even thinking about what you’re reading is one of the main reasons smartphones ruin productivity.
To help yourself avoid the scroll mindlessly, set limits using your device’s parental controls or usage monitoring features, such as Screen Time on iOS.
2. You Post Constantly
Few people have never indulged in oversharing on social media. Posting too much information on social media—and doing it often—may be another indicator of social media addiction.
We’re not here to police you on how often you’re allowed to post on Instagram. Instead, think critically about every post under your name and take pride in the quality of everything that you share online.
Pick and choose everything that you publish—your circle of acquaintances and colleagues don’t need to see every second of every day, and we doubt that you would want to see every second of theirs, either. By taking time to curate your feed, you’ll put out better and, necessarily, less content.
3. It Changes Your Habits or Opinions
Have you ever had a friend who always got you into trouble as a kid, a person who deliberately exposed you to dangerous activities, situations, or ways of thinking?
Social media can be profoundly influential, especially when online strangers start to feel like trusted friends. If you find yourself swaying to the dark side, whether to keep up with others or merely to bolster your own image, you might want to think twice about your social media habits.
Talk with your close friends and loved ones in real life about the topics you’ve found yourself discussing online. Do they agree with you, or can they help you recognize that social media has narrowed your views too much to think independently?
4. You Live Vicariously Through Your Life Online
Social media is fun as a gathering place for your best jokes and your most cherished memories. It’s at its best when people are sharing whatever brings them joy.
If you worry more about what other people will think about you than you do about representing yourself authentically, you might have an unhealthy relationship with your online persona.
Who is that person, staring back at you from your Twitter feed? Is that you or are you living a lie?
Try to notice when you’re posting things that make you uncomfortable simply because you think your followers would like to see it. Instead of pandering to internet strangers, think of your real-life family and friends as your audience.
Come as you are and never try to be somebody that you’re not, in real life or on social media.
5. You Compare Yourself to Others Needlessly
One of the hallmarks of teenage social media addiction is an obsession with social media. Is there any other time in life where a person is more interested and receptive to what all of their friends and favorite celebs are doing than when they’re young?
Both boys and girls struggle with body image, a desire for status, and a desperate need for validation from everybody around them. Unrealistic expectations are one of the most prominent negative effects of social media.
Constant comparison to others makes anybody miserable, especially when your only frame of reference is someone’s ultra-curated slideshow of their unrealistic life.
And the companies behind these social media platforms aren’t protecting users’ mental health.
You need to break the cycle of constant comparisons to others, especially when so many of them have professional PR teams and photo editors perfecting their posts. Be you, and be proud of who you are.
6. You Get Withdrawal When It’s Not Available
Social media withdrawal is no joke, especially if you try to quit social media for good. But your happiness shouldn’t depend on new followers.
Breaking this feedback loop might be as simple as not posting for a day or a week to start. When you’re not waiting impatiently for every positive affirmation, you can become more engaged with the real people and relationships around you.
A better life, after all, makes for better posts to share.
7. It’s the First Thing You Reach for When Bored or Distracted
One of the worst signs of social media addiction is when you’re on your phone every second your hands are free. There are so many other, more advantageous things to dive into when you have spare time, even if it’s just a little.
The next time you find yourself grabbing for your phone, think about all of the other productive activities you could be doing instead—even if it’s just getting the dishes done.
8. You Follow Online Strangers Too Closely
Is there anything more intriguing than the Instagram account of the perfect stranger or a despised enemy? Probably not, because the social media algorithm is built for high engagement. But obsessing over people you don’t know isn’t healthy, and it’s probably not even making you happy.
No online persona is worth deifying with a social media obsession. Yes, this even includes people that you follow “out of spite.”
Get rid of that negativity and start appreciating the real people you have around you.
9. You Do Risky, Dangerous, or Negative Things to Boost Engagement
One of the effects of social media addiction is the fact that it makes us buy clothes that we don’t like and do things that we wouldn’t normally do.
Is pulling off a dangerous stunt worth 40 likes on Facebook? If you’re just doing it for the ‘gram, you should consider doing a social media detox to reassess your relationship to it and to your audience. Your digital performance is not worth a serious injury.
10. It’s the First or Last Thing You Do Every Day
Is social media an ever-present part of your bedtime and morning rituals? Too much screen time is probably keeping you up and, no, night shift won’t help you sleep.
Instead of reaching for your phone as the first or last thing you do each day, think about what else you’re interested in. Try reading a good book by the warm light of a lamp or write down five things you’re grateful for in a notebook every morning.
Use that precious time to focus on yourself and only yourself. Meditation, a hot cup of tea, and a good, long stretch are all much better ways to bookend your day than visiting the hectic scroll of social media.
It’s Time to Break Your Social Media Addiction
Everybody loves attention and validation; that’s why social media is addictive in the first place. To overcome this digital addiction takes setting healthy limits, using appropriate conduct, and having a sense of respect for everybody that we interact with.
We all need a little bit of fun in our lives, and social media is great for that. But it’s important to make sure social media doesn’t become our lives. Everything, as they say, in moderation.
