Adults who use Instagram a lot overestimate its “addictive” nature, making self-control difficult dificulta el autocontrol

The study recently published in Scientific Reports reports that most people overestimate their addictive use of the Instagram app when, in reality, they do not meet the diagnostic criteria for it (18% believe they are addicted when only 2% meet the requirements). 

The article actually encompasses two different studies: one observational (in which certain questions relating to the use of the Instagram app are asked) involving 380 adults in the US; and another experimental study involving 824 people divided into two groups. In the experimental study, two groups were established. In the first group (the experimental group), the subjects first reflected on their addiction to Instagram and were then asked questions related to their feelings of control and guilt about their use of the app. In the other group (the control group), the same questions were asked, but without the initial reflection. As the authors expected, the first group perceived themselves as having less control and felt greater guilt about their use of Instagram. 

The most significant practical implication of the study is that it advocates discontinuing the use of the term addiction to refer to these types of behaviours, which are more indicative of a habit or, in this case, problematic use of social media. Therefore, treatments focused on combating social media addiction may not be effective for most people who, according to the study's findings, do not have such an addiction (understood mainly as the presence of withdrawal symptoms when the substance, in this case the use of Instagram, is absent or prohibited, and the presence of problems in daily life resulting from the use of the application). To reduce screen time, some recommendations are provided, such as changing social media settings to stop notifications, placing the phone out of sight, or using grayscale mode to create design friction. 

These erroneously named “behavioural addictions”, according to the authors of the study, sometimes also called non-substance addictions (which could also include, for example, compulsive online shopping or video game use), can be very difficult to differentiate from a habit. In general terms, in psychology, a behaviour becomes problematic when it causes us suffering or affects our daily lives (work or studies, relationships, family, etc.). In the case of (substance) addictions, we know that the awareness of having a problem may never come, or may take a long time to emerge; as for the use of new technologies, there is still no clear position on this issue. 

The most important limitation of the study is that the sample consists of adults with an average age of 44. It would be highly advisable to replicate this study with a sample of young people and adolescents, from 12 years old (the average age at which they get their first mobile phone) to 30 years old. This is the population that tends to make the most use of platforms such as Instagram and is therefore most vulnerable to excessive and inappropriate use of them, without being fully aware of the time they spend on them and whether their use is intentional (with a purpose) or merely accidental (by constantly scrolling through videos that come their way without stopping to think about whether or not the content is desired). 

The article is of high quality. What are the implications? We cannot confuse society with what a habit is and what an addiction is, because they are completely different. A habit is a behaviour that you repeat over time. In fact, human beings are quite prone to developing habits; we constantly develop habits in our daily lives. The problem arises when a habit becomes a need, and I would emphasise the concept of need. That is when we have an addiction.

According to the clinical guidelines we use to diagnose an addiction, three elements must be present: tolerance, withdrawal and negative consequences. I am talking mainly about substance addictions. Addictions to social media, such as Instagram, TikTok and others, or internet addictions, would fall under the umbrella of digital addictions, which are not covered in these manuals. Therefore, the fundamental problem we have here as healthcare professionals is that we cannot diagnose these conditions because they do not exist in the international guidelines, which for us are the DSM-5, which is American, and in Europe the ICD-11, which is from the World Health Organisation. As there is no condition called internet addiction or TikTok addiction or social media addiction in general, it is difficult to draw the line between excessive or problematic use (as it is often referred to in science) and addictive use.

But, I insist, a habit should not be confused with an addiction. An addiction to social media, the internet or video games has very similar symptoms to those of substance addiction: symptoms of tolerance, withdrawal and, of course, negative consequences.

A habit can become an addiction when the need arises, that is, we start checking social media for the sake of doing so, we usually do it all the time, for example, when we go to bed and pick up our mobile phone and start scrolling and looking at social media. This can become a habit so that every night when I lie down in bed and calm down, that's when I look at social media or check my networks. Up to that point, there would be no problem; the problem arises when, if one day I don't have that moment to scroll and check my social media, it makes me feel uncomfortable, restless, irritable or dysphoric. These are signs that it is no longer becoming a habit but a need. ‘I need to do this to feel good.’ When that happens, we have to start looking at what is going on.

Tolerance means that I have to consume more and more social media in order to achieve the pleasant effect of disconnection, so I spend more and more time connected. And withdrawal, when I cannot access social media, triggers an obvious dysphoric feeling: I feel irritable, I feel uncomfortable... That is when we have to start asking ourselves whether we are actually developing a problem or not. We must not confuse society between what is a habit and what is an addiction.

The problem that we researchers and health professionals who are dedicated to this field fundamentally have is that, as we do not have manuals that allow us to establish clear diagnostic criteria, there is a kind of diagnostic maelstrom. We rely on questionnaires, as the study mentions, to diagnose, but we are seeing it in clinical practice. We have cases, we have very serious cases, and, in addition, in the child and adolescent population, we are seeing quite significant cases of school failure and family problems. Social media also has components that are potentially addictive, such as endless scrolling, so we must be very careful. We must not demonise them, because social media has very important functions for society, but we must treat them with caution, not underestimate them, and educate society about the signs we need to look out for.

Also, the fact that we have an increasing need to consume social media, for longer and longer periods of time, even though this has negative consequences for us, is another very clear indication that we may be addicted. For example, I sleep fewer hours, I wake up much more tired because I am using social media, or at work, instead of working, I am using social media and this has negative consequences, or I do not do my schoolwork, or there are family problems because I do not put my mobile phone down and it is time for dinner or homework.

Do we see people in consultation who tell us they are addicted to Instagram? It's rare. Generally, they come to us with other types of problems associated with digital addictions; this is what we call comorbidity or dual pathology. Dual pathology means that you may have a substance addiction and it is accompanied by a digital addiction, or you have another condition, such as anxiety or depression, and suddenly you realise that there are also digital addictions involved. We are seeing that society is not aware of the importance of setting clear boundaries, especially adults, who are role models for minors.

In short, it is interesting to read studies of this type to see if we are indeed in this situation or if it is a self-fulfilling prophecy, ‘yes, I am addicted’. Saying that a person is addicted is a serious matter. We have to consider how we invest our time: whether we are investing it rationally and with a conscious decision, or whether time is being consumed, because it happens often and is part of the addictive elements. I pick up my phone or tablet and start without any clear intention, simply wanting to escape from a hard day at work, and when I realise it, I've been there for four hours. That's four hours I've lost doing other things, and in minors, with social interactions, it's very obvious. We have a reduction in social interactions in minors because they are interacting virtually, but social interaction is much more powerful and much more beneficial for them than virtual interaction.

Therefore, when a behaviour that I do for the sake of having fun or passing the time becomes a necessity, it is a problem that needs to be addressed because it is not going to go away; it will probably tend to get worse.