A study shared by Science Direct detailed how young users aged 15 to 35, most of whom were women, were addicted to their smartphones.
The researchers involved in the study concluded that diversity of social norms as well as current cultural expectations are the reasons why there were differences in the way consumers use smartphones, depending on where they hail from.
The study was done across 24 countries, included 83 samples, and 33,831 participants.
It found that China, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia had the highest scores of smartphone screen time use, whereas Germany and France had the lowest.
Is social media to blame? A clinical psychologist, Helenna Maria Hisham Hashim of Mentem Psychological Services weighs in on the matter.
Social media addiction (SMA) does exist, she told Sinar Daily. It is a type of behavioural addiction related to excessive and compulsive use of social media and is commonly associated with negative outcomes.
The phenomenon can largely be attributed to changes in neurobiological activities and brain structures in response to environmental factors that interact with the brain. What this means is that social media platforms activate parts of the brain which releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is associated with feelings of pleasure, reward and motivation.
Therefore, the brain receives a "reward” by way of retweets, shares, views, likes, which is why most social media addicts associate social media with positive reinforcements.
"Given the profound effects that it has on the brain, social media can be addictive both physically and psychologically, and can cause interference in day-to-day functioning,” she said.
SMA is similar to any other substance use disorder as it involves mood modification (engagement in social media platforms for positive emotional states), salience (preoccupation or consumed by social media), tolerance (continuous and increasing use of social media over a period of time to gain the same amount of pleasure from it), withdrawal symptoms (when social media use is restricted or ceased it can lead to unpleasant physical and emotional symptoms), and relapse (failure in controlling and returning to excessive and compulsive use of social media after a period of abstinence), and functional impairment (interpersonal conflicts and/ or neglect of important areas of life may arise due to excessive use of social media).
She also said that SMA is a learned behaviour. Repeated exposure further strengthens the motivation to seek for that reward high.
"The development of SMA could be due to the accessibility of technology and unmet psychosocial needs (the need for acceptance and belongingness).
"Accessibility of technology and the internet contributes to the significant increase in accessibility to social media platforms,” she added.
Given the dangers it poses, is there a way to stop it? Helenna assures that it is possible.
Just like any other substance use disorder, early intervention with a mental health professional will yield better prognosis and recovery.
She stated that excessive use of social media appears to not only occur among youths, but across all ages.
"I have observed a growing trend among Malaysian children and adolescents whereby early exposure to social media platforms and excessive use negatively impacts their development of language, attention, social and communication skills,” she shared.
Children who are regularly pacified or bribed with gadgets from a young age by their caregivers appear to show a lack of or decreased interest or even willingness to interact with others.
When there is a deficit of interaction and communication between parents and child, development of speech and vocabulary become limited. These limitations can cause issues for these children later in life, especially when it involves socialisation with others.
To get inside the minds of those who genuinely need social media for their work, Sinar Daily reached out to three influencers.
Cik Manggis of "De Fam”, whose real name is Nurshazwani Shamsuddin, said that her relationship with social media began with MySpace, Friendster, and the likes, before moving on to invest fully on Instagram, a photo sharing app.
Surprisingly, she noted that she spent less time on social media during the several lockdowns that plagued the nation over the past two years.
"I use the platform for work and business, so I will definitely lose followers and engagements if I don’t put an effort into posting content consistently,” she said.
She shared that as a public figure, she had certain targets to reach as per clients’ requests, which is where the bulk of her stress comes from.
She also said that she wouldn’t mind losing or gaining a follower if her job did not depend on it, which it unfortunately does.
Manggis also does not focus too much on Instagram’s confusing algorithm, but rather on the quality of her content, "I never boost my posting! I believe in organic means.
"I understand my followers very well and I know the kind of content they are looking for, which I genuinely enjoy doing anyway,” she said.
Social media can be fun, she said, except for when netizens decide to tear into public figures.
"I experienced very mean comments which involved my husband and my family when De Fam’s first YouTube cover went viral. It definitely affected me emotionally, but I got back up pretty quick,” she recalled.
However, she said that social media has also made her a better person.
When asked if she considers herself addicted to social media, she shared that her daily record is an hour and 22 minutes, which she thinks is a far cry from her 20s, when she would obsessively check all her social media accounts.
"I love having time off social media. Sharing too much about yourself can be dangerous too because we don’t know what people might do with that information,” she said.
TikToker and dancer Nick Syaf, whose real name is Muhammad Aniq Syafiq Jemain is a different story altogether.
During the lockdowns, he stated that he would be on social media for 17 hours, and even 24 hours if he really had nothing to do.
He agreed with the notion set by Manggis, who said that losing followers and bad engagements can cost him his job.
To him, the amount of followers equals the amount of money one can make, which is vital for someone like him, whose livelihood depends on social media.
Social media has also torn him apart - haters especially get to him.
"I try not to see these ridiculous things, but they still pop up. That’s the deal when you have a huge following online.
"But similarly, I learn a lot from social media. Besides being a stronger person, I can help others who need a leg up by reposting or retweeting their content and business,” he shared with Sinar Daily.
At times, he confessed that social media can get so overwhelming to the point where he feels like deactivating all of his accounts. However, due to it being his main source of income, it is not possible for him to move forward with.
As for Sheemal Azlan of recently debuted girl group Cassia, she checks her Instagram account "every hour of the day”.
Although she is a singer now, she does not seem to be affected when she gains or loses a follower.
"My followers are completely organic. I don’t depend on services to boost my followers or likes because I want to focus on becoming a good singer, not an influencer,” she confessed.
She said that she uses social media purely because she likes sharing what she is up to daily, taking and uploading photos purely to engage with her family, friends, and followers.
"People can be as rude as they want, but I am happy because I am posting what I want to post. Nobody is dictating me on what I should or should not post,” she explained.
She also told Sinar Daily that she is most likely addicted to social media, referring to how it can affect her mood and decrease her self-esteem at times.
When Helenna was asked whether social media can do more good or harm, she assured that it is fine so long as it is not used in an excessive manner.
Her advice for those who had negative experiences with social media was to reduce screen time by scheduling in a "no screen time'' into one’s daily routine.
She also suggested self-care activities, which includes relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, guided imagery, and grounding to reduce stress and anxiety.
"It’s best to focus on what is within your control and learn to let go or accept that some things are just not within your control.
"In the event that you experience significant distress or notice functioning impairment in important areas of your life, I would highly encourage you to seek help from a mental health professional,” she stated.