Stockholm Syndrome is a condition that causes hostages to develop a psychological bond with their captors. It can lead to captives feeling empathy or loyalty to their captors, even if they’re treated poorly. Does this sound familiar? You may be experiencing similar feelings surrounding your social media use, a sort of Social Media Stockholm Syndrome. 

While this is not an actual medical condition (yet), many social media users report feelings of being trapped or addicted to their app-captors. Things like the endless scroll feature, getting a dose of dopamine when your posts get liked, and videos that require a very short attention span have got us using social media now more than ever. However, it’s not always a positive relationship. 

When social media kidnaps our minds, it can have a huge impact on our mental state and how we see ourselves. For example, thousands of young boys and girls fall victim to photoshopped images of ultra-thin supermodels and buff weightlifters. Videos on Instagram and Snapchat often feature captions like ‘Lose Ten Pounds in a Week’, and ‘How to get your dream body’. Being exposed to this type of content, especially at a young age, can have drastic effects that lead to depression, anxiety, body image issues, and even severe eating disorders. 

Many adult social media users experience these effects, as well. Rich influencers and celebrities showing off new cars, exotic vacations, designer clothes and gourmet takeout can lead us to feel as though we aren’t rich enough, pretty enough, or good enough in general. Some have been so heavily influenced by these types of posts that they’ve driven themselves into crippling debt trying to imitate the lifestyles they see online. 

Despite the obvious dangers of social media, many of us still feel as though we can’t live without it. According to a Pew Research study, over 60% of Americans say social media has a negative effect on society. So why is it that the average global screen time is still almost seven hours a day? 

It’s possible that our minds have been kidnapped, and we are experiencing a sort of Social Media Stockholm Syndrome, and are being held hostage by Instagram, Facebook, and other apps. We know they’re bad for us, but still find some kind of odd comfort in reading strangers’ Facebook posts, mindlessly scrolling through Instagram videos, and perusing useless Reddit stories before bed. We feel a sort of connection and loyalty to these digital captors that treat our minds and bodies so terribly. 

However, there are ways to break free from Social Media Stockholm Syndrome. One easy way to reduce the use of social media is through setting app timers. These can be accessed through a device’s settings. Timers can be set for a specific amount of time that an app can be open on a device. Once that time limit is reached, the app isn’t able to be opened again until the next day, or until the time limit is removed. Notifications for social media apps can also be turned off. Many users find they’re not as inclined to use apps when they’re not being constantly spammed with notifications from them. Finally, consider deleting the apps altogether. Do you really need twenty different social media accounts? If that seems like too big of an undertaking, try only following profiles of people you actually know. Remove influencers from your feed that are only trying to manipulate you and sell their products. Instead, stick to family and friends. 

Social media addiction is real, and it can be difficult to break out of. But with a conscious effort and the motivation to improve our lives, we can all be free of Social Media Stockholm Syndrome.