Am I Addicted to Social Media Quiz
Questions: 15 · 10 minutes
1. When a social media notification appears while you are responsible for driving, what best matches your behavior?
I ignore or silence it until I am safely parked and finished driving.
I feel distracted by the urge to check, but I wait until I am safely parked.
I have pulled over solely to check even when doing so substantially disrupted my journey.
I have checked while the vehicle was moving or stopped in traffic, even once.
2. When you feel lonely, stressed, or upset, how do you use social media?
It may be one coping option, but I can also choose other forms of support or rest.
I sometimes scroll longer than intended before switching to another response.
I regularly rely on scrolling to avoid the feeling, even though I usually feel no better afterward.
I feel unable to face distress without it, or continued use has sharply intensified my distress.
3. What happens when an app timer, focus mode, or another boundary tells you it is time to stop?
I repeatedly override or disable it and continue for a substantial period.
I sometimes extend the session briefly, then stop.
I usually stop or finish one small task and leave.
I often override it more than once before I can disengage.
4. How often does social media displace basic routines such as eating, washing, exercise, medication, or household care?
Rarely or never; I generally complete those routines as intended.
Occasionally, one routine happens later than planned.
Regularly, I shorten, postpone, or skip routines because I continue using social media.
Essential self-care has repeatedly gone undone or my health has been directly affected.
5. How often do you find yourself opening social media without having consciously decided to?
Occasionally, usually after an obvious cue such as a notification.
Rarely or never; I generally choose when to open it.
Many times a day, including immediately after I just closed it.
Most days, especially during pauses or transitions.
6. How do you usually feel when you cannot check reactions, messages, or updates for longer than expected?
There is little emotional shift, and I turn to something else.
I feel briefly disappointed or curious, but it passes.
I become noticeably restless, irritable, or anxious until I can check.
The distress becomes overwhelming or has led to panic, aggression, or an unsafe action.
7. You have arranged an offline activity that matters to you. What is most likely to happen?
I participate and keep social media from taking over the activity.
I check briefly once or twice but remain engaged overall.
I spend a noticeable part of the activity checking or thinking about checking.
I have repeatedly left early, failed to attend, or been effectively absent because of social media.
8. Someone close to you says they feel ignored because you are checking social media during conversations. What best reflects your pattern?
This is not a recurring issue, and I can put the device aside when we talk.
It has happened occasionally, and I usually respond when it is pointed out.
It causes repeated tension, and I still find myself checking during conversations.
It has contributed to a serious relationship rupture, threatening conflict, or deliberate concealment of my use.
9. You open a social app intending to check it for about ten minutes. What most often happens?
I usually close it around the time I intended.
I sometimes stay a few extra minutes before noticing.
I often remain much longer than planned and have to pull myself away.
I repeatedly lose large blocks of time or miss something I meant to do.
10. If your phone is unavailable for an hour, how strong is the pull to check social media?
I notice a strong, persistent urge that makes it difficult to focus on anything else.
I may think about checking, but the thought passes easily.
I feel little or no urge and can focus elsewhere.
The urge returns several times and distracts me, though I can resist it.
11. A deadline is approaching and you need sustained concentration. What role does social media usually play?
I check during planned breaks without significantly changing my progress.
I make a few unplanned checks but regain focus fairly quickly.
I repeatedly interrupt the task and have to rush or reduce the quality of my work.
My checking has contributed to missing an important deadline, shift, class, or obligation.
12. When you decide to reduce your social media use for a week, how does that usually go?
I repeatedly abandon the plan within a day despite genuinely wanting to continue.
I keep the plan with little difficulty.
I bend the plan once or twice but can return to it.
I make several unsuccessful restarts or regularly change the rules to keep checking.
13. You notice that a particular feed or account reliably leaves you distressed. What do you tend to do?
I mute, unfollow, leave, or otherwise limit exposure.
I revisit it occasionally out of curiosity, then step away.
I repeatedly return despite expecting to feel worse afterward.
I continue engaging even when it triggers severe distress, harassment, threats, or urges to harm myself or someone else.
14. On nights when you plan to sleep at a particular time, how does social media affect that plan?
It does not usually delay my planned sleep.
It occasionally delays sleep by a few minutes.
It often keeps me awake much longer than intended and leaves me tired the next day.
I have repeatedly lost most of a night's sleep or been unable to meet essential duties because I kept scrolling.
15. After viewing other people's posts, what effect does comparison have on you?
I can usually keep posts in perspective without a meaningful effect on my self-view.
I occasionally feel inadequate, but the feeling is brief.
I often judge my appearance, achievements, or life negatively for hours afterward.
Comparison has repeatedly triggered intense distress or behavior that puts my wellbeing at risk.