Excessive Internet use correlates with social media addiction; while that might seem more benign than drugs or gambling addiction, don’t be mistaken. Social media addiction can still have adverse, devastating long-term mental health effects, just like any other addiction. A 2017 study of adolescents published in Plos One reported that 4.5 percent of young adults suffered social media addiction.
These same young adults also exhibited low self-esteem and high levels of depression. In another 2017 study, the number of participants who developed Facebook Addiction Disorder increased over a year. People with narcissistic personalities or other negative mental health variables were more likely to develop FAD.
The addictive effect of social media platforms, particularly among youth, is well established in the literature. In November 2021, the Wall Street Journal disclosed that Facebook’s own research identified 12% of its users engaging in compulsive use of social media, affecting their sleep, work, parenting, or relationships.