Is social media addictive?

Is social media as addictive as smoking?

The 2026 trials comparing social media to Big Tobacco are shining a spotlight on how intentional design features influence your brain function. Critics argue that, much like tobacco companies in the past, social media firms are fully aware of how addictive and potentially harmful their platforms can be. Nevertheless, they continue to minimise or dismiss the serious effects these platforms can have on public health.

Dr Steve Allder, a consultant neurologist at Re:Cognition Health, UK, says the comparison between a social media ‘hit’ and nicotine’s effects on the brain is partly valid.

“Nicotine creates physical addiction by acting directly on your brain receptors,” he explains. “Social media works differently. It doesn’t involve a drug, but it triggers dopamine - your brain’s reward chemical - when we get likes, messages, or new content. Over time, this can train your brain to crave constant checking.”

He notes that frequent social media use is not currently officially classified as an addiction, a term typically reserved for behaviours that a person cannot stop despite clear negative effects on work, sleep, relationships, or mental health. However, behaviour may be considered addictive when it involves a loss of control, withdrawal symptoms, tolerance, and harm to daily life.

The Variable Reward Effect has become a key focus in the bellwether trials. It highlights one of the central concerns raised by critics of social media and its potential for addiction. The concept refers to a psychological effect in which your brain receives an unpredictable reward, encouraging you to repeat the same behaviour in search of that feeling again.

On social media, much of the content in a feed may not be particularly stimulating. However, users continue scrolling in the hope of eventually finding something interesting, entertaining, or rewarding. When that moment does appear, your brain registers it as a reward for the effort of scrolling, reinforcing the behaviour and making it more likely that the cycle will repeat.

Allder explains that unpredictable rewards are especially powerful because your brain loves surprise.

“You never know when the next like or interesting post will appear, and that uncertainty creates bursts of dopamine,” he says. “This strengthens habits and keeps people checking. The brain areas involved include reward centres that drive motivation, and decision-making areas that judge value and effort.

“Over time, these systems become more sensitive to digital cues and less able to disengage. The result is a loop of anticipation, reward, and repetition that makes stopping feel surprisingly difficult.”

Although heavy social media use is not currently classified as an addiction, people who stop using social media after prolonged and frequent use often experience genuine side effects that can negatively affect their health.

Allder says that these symptoms include feeling anxious, irritable, restless, or low when they suddenly stop.

“This happens because your brain has become used to frequent dopamine bursts from online interaction,” he explains. “When that stops, reward activity drops and stress systems increase. Emotional control becomes weaker for a short time, and cravings feel intense.

“Stress hormones can rise, making people feel unsettled. These symptoms usually fade as your brain rebalances, but they show that excessive use can create real dependence-like patterns.”

Allder suggests that taking a short break from social media can help reset your brain, but lasting change usually requires a structured approach. This might involve managing triggers, rebuilding focus, and gradually reintroducing social media in a controlled way.

He also recommends that, if design rules are implemented, the first features to target should be infinite scroll, autoplay, and red notification alerts, as these are the elements that most directly encourage compulsive behaviour.

Allder concludes that, if you continue to use social media after considering these points, adopting certain habits in 2026 can help safeguard your mental and physical health.

These include:

• Setting daily limits.

• Turning off unnecessary notifications.

• Using social media at planned times.

• Prioritising real-life social contact.

• Choosing activities that bring you genuine satisfaction rather than constant digital rewards.

Although heavy social media use isn’t officially classified as a clinical addiction yet, evidence shows that it can seriously affect your brain - especially during adolescence, when your brain is still highly adaptable. Since social media has only been around for a short time, we’re just starting to see its long-term effects on young people who have grown up with technology and social media as a normal part of their everyday lives.

It’s reasonable to think that, much like how our view of smoking changed over time, research will eventually show social media as a real public health concern. Just as cigarettes went from being seen as a harmless habit to a regulated health issue, our attitudes toward these platforms are likely to shift as we better understand their impact.