A new study published in Scientific Reports challenges the widespread narrative that social media use constitutes a behavioral addiction, finding that only 2% of active Instagram users meet clinical criteria for addiction risk – despite 18% self-reporting as addicted.
The research, conducted by Ian A. Anderson of the California Institute of Technology and Wendy Wood of the University of Southern California, surveyed 1,204 U.S. adults across two studies to assess the prevalence of social media addiction and examine the consequences of applying the addiction label to frequent use.
Gap Between Clinical Symptoms and Self-Perception
Researchers used the Bergen Instagram Addiction Scale (BIAS), which assesses six clinical symptoms, including salience, urge, mood modification, failure to cut down, withdrawal, and life conflict. Participants scoring 24 or above on the 30-point scale meet the BIAS cutoff considered indicative of potential addiction risk, though not equivalent to a clinical diagnosis.
Among the 380 Instagram users in Study 1 (a quota-based sample matched to U.S. demographics for gender, age, political views, and race), only nine participants scored in the at-risk range. By contrast, 18% of users agreed at least somewhat that they were addicted, with 5% indicating substantial agreement on the seven-point scale.
The most frequently reported symptom was salience, with 20% of participants reporting that they often or very often thought about Instagram. The least common symptoms were withdrawal (4%) and life conflict (6%).
Habit Formation Versus Addiction
The study found that 49% of participants reported being habitual Instagram users, scoring five or higher on a seven-point scale. While self-reports of habit and addiction showed substantial correlation, the research identified key differences in their psychological effects.
Three addiction symptoms – withdrawal, life conflict, and failure to cut down – proved more strongly correlated with self-reported addiction than with habit. Participants who perceived themselves as addicted reported lower ability to control their Instagram use and had more past attempts to control it compared to those who identified as habitual users.
Media Coverage Analysis
The researchers examined U.S. media coverage from November 2021 to November 2024 using Buzzsumo, a media engagement tracking tool. They found 4,383 articles containing “social media addiction” compared to 50 articles mentioning “social media habit.”
Articles about addiction received 71,981 social media engagements across Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Pinterest, compared to 464 engagements for habit-related articles. The addiction articles also generated 1,759 links to other domains, compared with 4 for habit articles.
Peak coverage of social media addiction occurred in May 2022 and October 2024, corresponding to lawsuits against Meta, and during April-June 2023 following the U.S. Surgeon General’s warning about social media addiction.
Experimental Evidence of Label Impact
Study 2 tested whether framing Instagram use as an addiction produces negative consequences. Researchers randomly assigned 824 daily Instagram users to two conditions: one group completed a self-reflection task about addiction before rating their control and feelings about use, while a comparison group completed these measures before the reflection task.
The reflection task used language from the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 report, stating: “The U.S. Surgeon General has warned that frequent, excessive social media use is addictive. It can be harmful to your mental health and well-being.”
Participants who reflected on addiction first reported significantly higher self-perceived addiction (mean 4.15 versus 3.42 on a seven-point scale). They also reported lower feelings of control over Instagram use, more past attempts to control their use, and greater self-blame for overuse than the comparison group.
Implications for the Creator Economy
The research suggests that approximately 2.4 million Instagram users in the U.S. (based on 121.4 million American users and a 2% at-risk rate) may be at risk for addiction based on clinical symptoms. However, the authors note this figure may be inflated by exposure to addiction narratives in the media.
The study measured Instagram use frequency among participants, with an average of 10.47 hours per week and a range from zero to 74 hours. Frequency correlated with habit strength, but did not alone determine addiction risk.
For habit-driven use, the researchers note that control strategies differ from addiction treatment, focusing on removing contextual triggers, changing settings to reduce notifications, or practicing substitute activities rather than willpower-based approaches.
Image credits: Anderson, I.A., Wood, W. Overestimates of social media addiction are common but costly. Sci Rep 15, 39388 (2025). The full study is available here.
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
A new study published in Scientific Reports challenges the widespread narrative that social media use constitutes a behavioral addiction, finding that only 2% of active Instagram users meet clinical criteria for addiction risk – despite 18% self-reporting as addicted.
The research, conducted by Ian A. Anderson of the California Institute of Technology and Wendy Wood of the University of Southern California, surveyed 1,204 U.S. adults across two studies to assess the prevalence of social media addiction and examine the consequences of applying the addiction label to frequent use.
Gap Between Clinical Symptoms and Self-Perception
Researchers used the Bergen Instagram Addiction Scale (BIAS), which assesses six clinical symptoms, including salience, urge, mood modification, failure to cut down, withdrawal, and life conflict. Participants scoring 24 or above on the 30-point scale meet the BIAS cutoff considered indicative of potential addiction risk, though not equivalent to a clinical diagnosis.
Among the 380 Instagram users in Study 1 (a quota-based sample matched to U.S. demographics for gender, age, political views, and race), only nine participants scored in the at-risk range. By contrast, 18% of users agreed at least somewhat that they were addicted, with 5% indicating substantial agreement on the seven-point scale.
The most frequently reported symptom was salience, with 20% of participants reporting that they often or very often thought about Instagram. The least common symptoms were withdrawal (4%) and life conflict (6%).
Habit Formation Versus Addiction
The study found that 49% of participants reported being habitual Instagram users, scoring five or higher on a seven-point scale. While self-reports of habit and addiction showed substantial correlation, the research identified key differences in their psychological effects.
Three addiction symptoms – withdrawal, life conflict, and failure to cut down – proved more strongly correlated with self-reported addiction than with habit. Participants who perceived themselves as addicted reported lower ability to control their Instagram use and had more past attempts to control it compared to those who identified as habitual users.
Media Coverage Analysis
The researchers examined U.S. media coverage from November 2021 to November 2024 using Buzzsumo, a media engagement tracking tool. They found 4,383 articles containing “social media addiction” compared to 50 articles mentioning “social media habit.”
Articles about addiction received 71,981 social media engagements across Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Pinterest, compared to 464 engagements for habit-related articles. The addiction articles also generated 1,759 links to other domains, compared with 4 for habit articles.
Peak coverage of social media addiction occurred in May 2022 and October 2024, corresponding to lawsuits against Meta, and during April-June 2023 following the U.S. Surgeon General’s warning about social media addiction.
Experimental Evidence of Label Impact
Study 2 tested whether framing Instagram use as an addiction produces negative consequences. Researchers randomly assigned 824 daily Instagram users to two conditions: one group completed a self-reflection task about addiction before rating their control and feelings about use, while a comparison group completed these measures before the reflection task.
The reflection task used language from the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 report, stating: “The U.S. Surgeon General has warned that frequent, excessive social media use is addictive. It can be harmful to your mental health and well-being.”
Participants who reflected on addiction first reported significantly higher self-perceived addiction (mean 4.15 versus 3.42 on a seven-point scale). They also reported lower feelings of control over Instagram use, more past attempts to control their use, and greater self-blame for overuse than the comparison group.
Implications for the Creator Economy
The research suggests that approximately 2.4 million Instagram users in the U.S. (based on 121.4 million American users and a 2% at-risk rate) may be at risk for addiction based on clinical symptoms. However, the authors note this figure may be inflated by exposure to addiction narratives in the media.
The study measured Instagram use frequency among participants, with an average of 10.47 hours per week and a range from zero to 74 hours. Frequency correlated with habit strength, but did not alone determine addiction risk.
For habit-driven use, the researchers note that control strategies differ from addiction treatment, focusing on removing contextual triggers, changing settings to reduce notifications, or practicing substitute activities rather than willpower-based approaches.
Image credits: Anderson, I.A., Wood, W. Overestimates of social media addiction are common but costly. Sci Rep 15, 39388 (2025). The full study is available here.
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