that they actually miss enjoying the beach or concert. A teen may become so consumed with taking photos of themselves on the beach, at a concert, etc. A teen may spend more time taking photos of their ‘fun activity’ then they actually spend participating in and enjoying it. As the teenage years are a pivotal time for social growth in teens, this desire can be harmful as the teen may not develop healthy or appropriate social skills.Īnother common characteristic of teens addicted to social media is the desire to create an attractive and “likable” virtual view of their life. A teen addicted to social media will prefer the virtual connections and relationships to those in real life. The teen will feel internal pressure to check their updates, add new statuses, post a photo, or engage in other online activity.

Paradigm Malibu explains that social media addiction most often entails two distinct characteristics of addiction: the extensive amount of time spent on social media and the underlying reasons why they’re engaged online.Ī teen with a social media addiction has an overwhelming desire to participate in the virtual world. Dominant Characteristics of Social Media Addiction in Teens While many teens engage in social media through platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vine, Snapchat, and others, teens who are addicted to social media see a negative impact on their real life relationships and responsibilities.

A teenager with a social media addiction has become so engrossed in the virtual world that it has impacted the real world, causing harmful effects. Teenage social media addiction can be described as preoccupation and obsession.

Statistics on effects of social media