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A study carried out by the Chicago Booth School of Business pointed out, more than 10 years ago, that Facebook, Twitter and other social networks have a greater addiction capacity than tobacco or alcohol because, among other things, accessing them is simple and free. Furthermore, if the very father of the iPad, iPod, iPhone, Steve Jobs, did not let his children get too intimate with technology - he limited their time of use - it is because he probably intuited something about how social networks affect children. younger.

The truth is that, in the opinion of many experts, the use of social networks—instant messaging applications included—can generate serious addictions with their consequent consequences: anxiety, depression, irritability, isolation, withdrawal from real life and relationships. family members, loss of control, etc.

Among these activities are, for example, the use of video games, compulsive work, on and offline gaming and for many, also, the excessive use of social networks that already have almost 5 billion active users in the world. Despite the large numbers, experts consider that only a small percentage shows a true dependence on social networks.

The majority profile of the addict is that of a young person between 16 and 24 years old. Adolescents are those most at risk of falling into addiction, according to experts, for three fundamental reasons: their tendency to impulsivity, the need to have a broad and expansive social influence and, finally, the need to reaffirm their identity. cluster.

Sherry Turkle, a psychoanalyst at MIT, has researched extensively on the impact of social media on relationships and claims that it weakens human bonds. In his book Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other he describes that paradoxically it brings with it a certain feeling of loneliness “the ties we form through the Internet are not, in the end, the ties that unite, but they are the ties that worry.”

According to an article by psychologists Daria J. Kuss and Mark D. Griffiths, people with low self-presentation skills use social media platforms in preference to personal interactions. Social media interactions offer a variety of rewards in the form of security and satisfaction that can lead to compulsive use to achieve consistent online gratification. he inability to establish and maintain relationships in real life can cause a person to turn to social media, where connections become more accessible.

In an article published in BMC Psychology, professors from different universities in Lebanon, led by Lara Yousse, emphasized the direct link between the use of social networks and loneliness and isolation. Higher levels of social media consumption and use were associated with higher levels of loneliness among social media users. Additionally, spending less time interacting face-to-face can lead to negative moods such as social isolation.

Treatments for social media addiction are listed below.

1) Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)-

2) Behavioral activation.

3) Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

4) Family therapy.

https://diamondrehabthailand.com/what-is-social-media-addiction/ (2023).---

https://www.iberdrola.com/social-commitment/impact-social-media-youth .(2023)----

https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/ .(2023)----

https://socialmediavictims.org/social-media-addiction/signs/ .(2023)---

https://www.sandstonecare.com/blog/social-media-addiction/ (2023)

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