The Social Media Addiction Crisis
 Social media is a problem plaguing our country, specifically the youth. Selena Rodriguez was a preteen who, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, took to social media to stay in touch with some of her friends. But while the lockdown ended, her use of social media persisted. These various platforms that she used, such as Instagram and Snapchat, had many adverse effects on her mental health. Multiple times, she had been asked for explicit content about herself. Her use of these platforms caused her mental health to decline. It came to a climax when on the 21st of July, 2021, while live streaming on Snapchat, she overdosed on drugs and committed suicide at the age of 11 years old (Doak). This story helps to reveal some of the major problems in social media, and how this addiction can eventually lead someone to take their own life, even someone as young as 11 years old. Social media addiction is a problem because it is highly addictive, the problem is not getting any better, and it is rewiring people’s brains.
  Social media is highly addictive. Would you ever smoke a cigarette? For most people reading, the answer would be no. Even from elementary school, it is taught that cigarettes are bad for your health and are addictive. And yet, millions of teens use something even more addictive. One fact that is not very well known is that “[s]ocial media is more addictive than alcohol and cigarettes” (“Social Media Addiction…”). One study noted that in a group of participants, they “...were more likely to give in to [the] urge to tweet or check email than other cravings like drinking or smoking” (“Social media more…”). This addictive quality of social media causes users to spend an increased amount of time on the platforms, consequently, they have less time to spend on important things in their real lives, such as relationships, jobs, homework, etc. No one would argue that cigarette addiction is not a problem. Nor would they dispute that alcohol addiction is a problem. The same should follow with social media addiction, with it being more addictive than both of those things, it is a widespread problem plaguing our society. Social media addiction differs from a cigarette or alcohol addiction as the adverse effects that result from it aren’t as well-known.
  Unlike what some may think, the social media addiction crisis is not getting better, rather, it is getting worse. “Nearly half of teens say they are online ‘almost constantly,’ up from 24% a decade ago” (“Social Media Addiction…”). That is a significant percentage, especially considering the same source says that “young adults between the ages of 13 and 17 spend an average of 4.8 hours on social media daily” (“Social Media Addiction…”). Social media addiction is spreading and growing more widespread among the youth of our country. With an astounding 5 hours average every day of social media use, it is stealing people’s time, which is a combined 1,825 hours a year. If the current trend continues, one could expect that number to grow even further. With the problem worsening, it is apparent that the issue will not resolve itself. This problem needs to be addressed, otherwise it will grow out of control and affect the coming generations.
  Social media addiction is more harmful than one might think. Comparing it to cigarettes may seem extreme, as those affect the body, while social media only takes up someone’s time. But that is false, as social media addiction rewires the brain. Researchers found that “there were significant differences in the gray matter and white matter—measures related to the structure and functions of neurons—between the addicted adolescents, and their ‘healthy’ counterparts” (Rosen). Social media addiction is having real consequences on people, especially considering many of the people who are addicted are in their teens, and their brains are still developing and very impressionable. So far, social media has not been around long enough to be able to study the long-term effects of social media addiction, meaning that the long-term consequences are not fully known. Social media addiction is not just affecting and changing the brains of a few individuals. It is affecting our future.
  Social media is a problem affecting our youth; it is highly addictive, it is getting worse, not better, and it is rewiring the brains of young adolescents whose brains are still developing and very impressionable. If this problem is not addressed soon, future generations will be greatly affected by social media addiction and the dopamine cycle that it provides. Unless legislation is passed, ending the social media addiction crisis starts with the individual. They can help by trying to limit their social media interaction. They can try moving conversations to other mediums, such as calling or in-person chatting. An individual’s choice to quit social media could make their friend group follow suit, and as a result, more people could be freed from its grasp. The individual has the power and the responsibility to help end the social media addiction crisis that is plaguing our country and affecting our youth.

Work Cited
Doak, Emile. "The Drug on Your Phone: It's past time for legislative solutions to our collective social media addiction." The American Conservative, vol. 22, no. 4, July-Aug. 2023, pp. 41+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A755702971/OVIC?u=sain92471&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=27e129b8. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
“Social Media Addiction Statistics.” The Lanier Law Firm, The Lanier Law Firm, https://www.lanierlawfirm.com/social-media-addiction/statistics/. Accessed 17 April 2025.
“Social media more addictive than cigarettes, alcohol: Study.” The Economic Times, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., 6 February 2012, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/social-media-more-addictive-than-cigarettes-alcohol-study/articleshow/11779580.cms. Accessed 18 April 2025.
Rosen, Larry D., et al. "Social Networking Is Addictive and Can Lead to Psychological Disorders." Are Social Networking Sites Harmful?, edited by Noah Berlatsky, Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010744223/OVIC?u=sain92471&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=442d441c. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025. Originally published in iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us, New York, NY, 2011.