"Teenagers spend about 3.3 hours a day online, using social media platforms five to nine times a day, including meal times and in the company of others. Adults used it slightly less, at 2.6 hours." (Power 1)

"The survey of 1000 adults and 150 teenagers between 14 and 17 years of age found 79 per cent of teenagers and 54 per cent of adults were "highly involved with their phones".

"Among the 7.91 billion people in the world as of 2022, 4.62 billion active social media users, and the average time individuals spent using the internet was 6 h 58 min per day with an average use of social media platforms of 2 h and 27 min"

"...social media addiction has a negative impact on users' mental health. For example, social media addiction can lead to stress levels rise, loneliness, and sadness (54). Anxiety is another common mental health problem associated with social media addiction. Studies have found that young adolescents who are addicted to social media are more likely to suffer from anxiety than people who are not addicted to social media"

"...psychologists estimate that as many as 5 to 10% of Americans meet the criteria for social media addiction today."

"Social media addiction is a behavioral addiction that is characterized as being overly concerned about social media, driven by an uncontrollable urge to log on to or use social media, and devoting so much time and effort to social media that it impairs other important life areas."

"The phenomena of social media addiction can be largely attributed to the dopamine-inducing social environments that social networking sites provide."

"Studies have shown that the constant stream of retweets, likes, and shares from these sites cause the brain’s reward area to trigger the same kind of chemical reaction seen with drugs like Cocaine."

"Neuroscientists have compared social media interaction to a syringe of dopamine being injected straight into the system."

"According to a new study by Harvard University, self-disclosure on social networking sites lights up the same part of the brain that also ignites when taking an addictive substance. The reward area in the brain and its chemical messenger pathways affect decisions and sensations. When someone experiences something rewarding or uses an addictive substance, neurons in the principal dopamine-producing areas in the brain are activated and dopamine levels rise. Therefore, the brain receives a “reward” and associates the drug or activity with positive reinforcement."

"The brain rewires itself through this positive reinforcement, making people desire likes, retweets, and emoticon reactions."

"Another perpetuating factor of social media addiction is the fact that the reward centers of the brain are most active when people are talking about themselves."