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Problematic Social Media Use Scale3

Problematic Social Media Use Scale Test

In 3 minutes, learn whether your social media use is affecting mood, focus, and real-life connections. Fifteen quick items pinpoint trouble spots and provide a clear baseline for coaching or care.

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Questions: 153 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

16,136 views

1,455 completions

1,168 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

10/21

Negative Consequences (NC)

Measures how strongly social media use is associated with negative impacts on daily functioning, such as strained relationships or reduced productivity.

Low impact

Moderate impact

High impact

3 – 8: Low impact | 9 – 14: Moderate impact | 15 – 21: High impact

A score of 10 falls in the Moderate impact range, suggesting occasional noticeable drawbacks from social media use in areas like productivity or interpersonal interactions.

example score

8/21

Compulsive Use (CU)

Measures the degree of repetitive, hard-to-control social media use and preoccupation with checking it.

Low

Moderate

High

3 – 8: Low | 9 – 14: Moderate | 15 – 21: High

A score of 8 falls in the Low range, suggesting compulsive social media behaviors are minimal or occur infrequently.

example score

9/21

Cognitive Preoccupation (CP)

Measures how strongly a person becomes mentally preoccupied with social media and how hard it is to shift attention away from it.

Low absorption

Moderate absorption

High absorption

3 – 8: Low absorption | 9 – 14: Moderate absorption | 15 – 21: High absorption

A score of 9 indicates a moderate level of cognitive absorption, suggesting occasional persistent thoughts about social media and some difficulty redirecting attention.

example score

11/21

Emotion Regulation (ER)

Measures the extent to which a person uses social media to manage, soothe, or change their emotional state.

Low

Moderate

High

3 – 8: Low | 9 – 14: Moderate | 15 – 21: High

A score of 11 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting occasional reliance on social media to regulate emotions without consistently dominating coping efforts.

example score

14/21

Preference for Online Communication (PfOC)

Measures how strongly a person tends to prefer online communication over face-to-face interaction.

Low preference

Moderate preference

High preference

3 – 8: Low preference | 9 – 15: Moderate preference | 16 – 21: High preference

A score of 14 falls in the Moderate preference range, suggesting a noticeable but not dominant tendency to choose online communication over in-person contact.

example score

35/105

Problematic Social Media Use Scale (PSMUS)

Assesses the degree to which social media use is excessive and associated with difficulties or negative impacts in daily life.

Low

Moderate

High

15 – 44: Low | 45 – 74: Moderate | 75 – 105: High

A score of 35 falls in the Low range, suggesting generally controlled social media use with minimal signs of related difficulties.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Heavy daily scrollers

41%OF USERS

People who notice they spend more time online than planned and feel it affects mood, focus, or sleep.

Mood regulation seekers

33%OF USERS

Those who turn to feeds and notifications to cope with stress, loneliness, or boredom and worry it’s becoming a habit.

Helping professionals and coaches

26%OF USERS

Psychologists, counselors, and coaches who need a quick screening to understand how online behavior impacts a client’s daily life.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Negative Consequences (NC)

Average

9.1

Normal range

5.9 — 12.2

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Compulsive use (Cu)

Average

13.7

Normal range

10.4 — 17

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Cognitive Absorption (CA)

Average

14.6

Normal range

11.8 — 17.3

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Emotion Regulation (ER)

Average

12.3

Normal range

9.5 — 15.2

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Preference for online communication (Pfoc)

Average

11.2

Normal range

8.3 — 14

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Problematic Social Media Use Scale (PSMUS)

Average

82.1

Normal range

70.2 — 94

min.

max.

105

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Neutral
- Somewhat agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Neutral
- Somewhat agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Neutral
- Somewhat agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 15 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Problematic Social Media Use Scale Test - Symptoms and Signs

cyberpsychology

social networks

The measure is designed to screen for maladaptive patterns of social networking site engagement; the Problematic Social Media Use Scale provides a brief, structured way to quantify associated distress and functional impact. It consists of 15 items and typically takes about 3 minutes to complete.

Items assess common features of problematic use, such as preoccupation with social media, difficulty controlling use, use to regulate mood, preference for online interaction over offline activities, and negative consequences in daily functioning. Results from the Problematic Social Media Use Scale can support clinical interviewing and treatment planning by identifying areas where social media use may be interfering with emotional well-being, relationships, or role performance.

Author: Kimberly S. Young, Mark D. Griffiths

Literature: Andreassen, C. S., Torsheim, T., Brunborg, G. S., & Pallesen, S. Development of a Facebook addiction scale. Psychological Reports. 2012.