Social Media Addiction And The Brain

Addiction to social media is no different than any other addiction, says Mayo Clinic neurologist Dr. Paola Sandroni.

The 72 million people born between 1997 and 2012 known as Generation Z increased their social media use by 65% over the last year according to a recent Sprout Social poll. Studies have also shown a strong link between social media use and depression, anxiety and other mental health issues due to the comparisons users tend to make to seeing how other people are living their lives.

Generation Z, people today aged 7-22, are the most “online” reliant generation, growing up with social media for more than half their lives. They are most likely to use it for socialization and shopping, while Millennials, ages 25-40, are more likely to use social media for contacting family and friends on apps like Facebook or just to pass time.

Using apps like Facebook and Instagram are not as popular for this age group but they prefer faster and perhaps more addicting apps like Tik Tok or Snapchat. These apps use algorithms that make shorter content and faster content for its user. Tik Tok allows users to make short videos matched to music or trending audio files. Snapchat is an app that allows users to share photos, videos and messages.

So, in the 90’s, teens went from not being invited to a party and just not going, to now not being invited to a party, but watching it unfold in real time on snapchat and feeling a much deeper level of isolation. That level of exclusion is much more difficult on teens today. The fear of inadequacy and fear of missing out or “FOMO” is real. A study by the University of Pennsylvania found that high usage of Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram increases feelings of loneliness.

While there is not yet enough research to determine the exact implications of early social media use, largely due to rapid changes in technology. Studies have shown that less person-to-person contact increases mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.

“The global pandemic has certainly exasperated this issue and the stimulus of social media addiction is stronger than ever”

—Paola Sandroni, MD, Mayo Clinic

“Certainly the pandemic has further magnified the problem as people had to use such platforms to keep some social connection that is not possible or was not possible in person for quite some time,” Dr. Sandroni explained. “I think it shows how important feeling connected is for humans but also there is a component of self-gratification in feeling important in the ability to reach out to so many people so quickly and also to be at the center of attention.”