Research

LOI 2: Causes of social media addiction 

Social media apps are designed to be addictive. There are 3 mechanisms that motivate the habit (addiction):

1. Motivation: Teens feel the anticipation about getting likes, comments, or posts, with FOMO (the fear of missing out).
   
   

2. Action: The act of reading and responding, such as liking or commenting. Repeated behavior becomes a habit.
   
   

3. Trigger: The way that the motivation is activated such as the phone vibrating when a notification is received.

LOI 3: Ways to prevent social media addiction

 1. Limit when social media is accessed and for how long.

 2. Turn off notifications. You can check notifications during your social media time. Notifications are a potential brain system trigger. 

 3. Avoid using social media when you’re feeling down. If you’re feeling any emotions avoid using social media. Social media can trigger your emotions which will make your emotions worse. If you’re feeling sad try doing something that makes you happy. You can talk to your friends/family, go for a walk, or listen to music.

 4. Be aware of the triggers that make you want to use social media. There are a lot of things that can trigger you to use social media. If you know what triggers you, you can be more prepared to avoid them. 

 5. Find other fun activities that don’t involve devices. When you want to play games, watch videos, or have the urge to use social media, do something else. Try outdoor activities. You can play sports, go for a walk, exercise, play board games, and have a playdate with your friends.

 6. Don’t compare yourself to others. One of the things that triggers your brain for social media is comparing yourself to others. It’s easy to compare yourself to others. 

 7. Delete unnecessary apps and WhatsApp groups.

Questions to Drive the Inquiry 

1. What causes social media addiction to happen?

1. Motivation: Teens feel the anticipation about getting likes, comments, or posts, with FOMO (the fear of missing out).

2. Action: The act of reading and responding, such as liking or commenting. Repeated behavior becomes a habit.

3. Trigger: The way that the motivation is activated such as the phone vibrating when a notification is received.

2. How can we prevent social media addiction?

1. Limit when social media is accessed and for how long.

2. Turn off notifications. You can check notifications during their social media time. Notifications are a potential brain system trigger. 

3. Avoid using social media when you’re feeling down. If you’re feeling any emotions avoid using social media. Social media can trigger your emotions which will make your emotions worse. If you’re feeling sad try doing something that makes you happy. You can talk to your friends/family, go for a walk, or listen to music.

4. Be aware of the triggers that make you want to use social media. There are a lot of things that can trigger you to use social media. If you know what triggers you, you can be more prepared to avoid them. 

5. Find other fun activities that don't involve devices. When you want to play games, watch videos, or have the urge to use social media do something else. Try new outdoor activities.

6. Don’t compare yourself to others. One of the things that triggers your brain for social media is comparing yourself to others. It’s easy to compare yourself to others.

7. Delete unnecessary apps and WhatsApp groups.

3. Why does dopamine increase in the brain because of watching too much social media? 

The dopamine increases if you are engaged with Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, or other social media platforms. When a user gets a retweet, or an emoticon notification, the brain receives tons of dopamine and sends it along reward pathways. It feels wonderful, but it also acts to strengthen our need to satisfy the feeling next time. This cycle of motivation, reward, and strengthen a “dopamine loop” that gets users seeking, looking, craving rewards and more of them.

4. What happens to a person when they get addicted?

If a person gets addicted to social media, they will have anxiety or depression, increased isolation, decreased physical activity, low self-esteem, and poor work or school performance, among many others. This can cause other unwanted issues such as losing relationships and it makes the victim even lonelier and they start to have suicidal thoughts.

How can social media addiction damage the mental and physical state of people?

As it is mentioned in number 4, it causes anxiety or depression, increased isolation, decreased physical activity, low self-esteem, and poor work or school performance, among many others. But they also affect our physical state, through sleep disturbances. Blue screen, which is in almost every device, affect our sleep. When we’re exposed to blue light, we become more alert which isn’t what’s supposed to happen at night when we’re about to sleep. That’s why blue light affects our sleep. Social media damage our physical body, to obesity. Obesity is a complex disease involving an excessive amount of body fat. If you overuse social media addiction, you won't be able to be active as usual.

6. Which age group is the most addicted to social media? 

Young adults tend to be the most affected by social media addiction. It's significantly higher amongst young single women. 90% of people aged 18-29 use social media in some form. 15% of people aged 23-38 admit that they are addicted to social media.